Pentney's perspectives

Ft. McMurray, waiting for Suncor + new job search

2005-10-22T16:02:00.000-07:00

Wed. Thurs. Fri. Oct. 19-21, 2005

Here’s the daily circuit. Good cooked breakfast everyday. Organize car. On the road by 10AM at latest. Quick drive around a new part town.

Sit outside Staples and pick up and send Email. Go to Canadian Tire and use the phone to catch up on business.

Lunch and a quick walk along the Athabasca River. Go to the employment centre and check the job board. Talk with Steve, Counselor (degree from Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario – been here forever, loves it) about strategy and ideas. Met Andy today on the river walk, a teacher, and he gave me numerous tips on joining the unions, laboring jobs and sub teaching positions.

Shop for deals on groceries at the C store-best place in town for variety and prices. Hot drink of some kind from T. Horton’s. Evening in the library and catch up on paperwork and writing.
Spent three days of calling various people at Suncor and tracked down the Recruiter for the position I applied for. He kindly passed me on to the Supervisor who is hiring. Had a good chat - he was very open about his requirements and I have to wait one week to see if I get on the short list. It is a junior position and the pay is at the low end of the scale.

A note on the library. It is in the City Hall building, modern spacious and comfortable with many seating areas including a fireplace. However, there are very few patrons in it all the times I have visited. Thursday night about 10 people.

Average house prices in this town are over $400, 000 each. Most districts are quite modern with numerous facilities. There are many hockey arenas, parks, baseball diamonds- each area, branched off the downtown core, up in the ravines (greenbelt) from the river, have their own facilities.

Oct 13- 18, 2005. Calgary upscale end , Edmonton, and Fort McMurray introduction

2005-10-18T20:54:00.000-07:00

Monday, Tues. Oct. 17-18, 2005

Arrived in Fort McMurray. Quite a drive. About 5 hours from Edmonton.
Town is in a valley surrounded by rivers and trees. It is expensive to live here. Wages for the Burger King hourly workers are $14.50 an hour for a 40 hour week. Product prices are $1-2 higher than Ontario.

A room in a basement with bedroom and living room and bathroom with shower only, no kitchen but a big TV, $800 a month and $400 damage deposit.

I found a great swimming pool downtown $4 for an hour (includes a free shower). The library and job resource centre give me all I need to spend comfortable days indoors. There are plenty of wireless internets around town.
All the major franchises are here including Wal-Mart, Can tire, Sears, and so on.

Nights are below 32F now and I may have to get a room eventually. Must get a job first though. My application to Suncor has to be done via web only. They will not accept resumes in person. Waiting game.

Spoke to Lee an RCMP officer. He had three very nasty confrontations last week with people who come here to make a lot of money and trouble. He told me to avoid The Oil Can Bar which is across the street from the city hall.

Sunday Oct. 16, 2005

Edmonton. Visited the world famous Edmonton Mall. Actually it's a typical mall, but it also has an ice rink, wave pool- beach, waterworld, a lagoon with a galleonputting greens, and restaurant complexes in addition to fast food courts. Comparing the design of the overall facility with some of the malls I have seen in Forida in Fort Lauderdale and Palm Beach Gardens, this mall is just marginal. When I entered at 10 AM it was allmost deserted. By noon it was moderately busy and have a 'buzz.' Clientle seemed to be average with a very a very small number of visibly upscale shoppers. However, Albeerta is a rich province and money is obviously not an issue based on the number of stores in the mall.

Saturday, Oct. 15, 2005

Visited the high end of Calgary. Both physically and disposable income. The city lies at the foot of various hills on the west. The hill areas outside of the city have numerous new and completed developments. I visited the Hampton area and enjoyed a tea in a Second Cup coffee shop. The clientele were all quite affluent. Two unrelated groups of non American businessman were hatching multimillion business plans. It was interesting that both groups spoke in English – perhaps a status symbol. They made no effort to keep their conversation private.

I shopped for groceries in the Coop store next door and noted that the prices were higher than the average supermarkets but still a lot lower that the Safeway that I visited in the downtown trendy area.

Weather was pleasantly warm at 65 F. I headed north Edmonton. Driving through continuously through good farmland, somewhat flat. Reminds me of the Woodstock, Ontario area or the 401 Hiway to Windsor.

Friday, Oct. 14, 2005.

Calgary, I am very impressed with the city downtown, Stephen Street runs through the centre of the tall business building, The transit has tracks on dedicated streets without traffic other than at stop lights. Called the C train, about 5 carriages linked. Open air raised platforms are spread out through downtown to pick up passengers.

Negative and unfortunate aspect of the downtown is the large numbers of homeless people that congregate outside the various homes that they are writing to eat or sleep in. They also can seen in the all the large stores, trying to blend in with the regular shoppers.

Calgary downtown Library has a large readership of made up homeless people. One can quickly identify which clients fit into the ‘transient’ category. E.g. some kick off their shoes and make themselves very comfortable in the surroundings appreciating the warmth and the contrast to the starkness of their street world. The librarians face a continuous challenge of home to deal with this nomadic clientele. Some have legitimate requests but many use the library to get a sense of normalcy.

I enjoyed wandering all over the downtown. There are some fine sculptures and numerous Historic plaques explaining the development of the city. The Glenbow Museum is in between major exhibits so I decided to wait for the Petra exhibition in November. The chandelier in the foyer was noteworthy. Large glass crystals suspended from a height of four stories to the floor.

Many fine restaurants, all usual major retailers. The downtown building have covered in glass walkways at the second story levels making walking across the street to connected stores a pleasant visual and safe experience. In various ways the downtown reminded me of Chicago. A smaller scale but obvious attention to good planning, interesting architectural design and usability.

Outside the Sears store and next to Holt Renfrew in the indoor mall there was an exhibition of men’s underwear to promote prostate cancer awareness. Various artists had each chosen a design for a pair of men’s boxer shorts decorated to present a theme. Titles were given to each exhibit E.g. One pair were completely covered in dried hot pepper of numerous types. Another pair was covered in jewelry and sequins, with the obvious title reference to Crown Jewels.
Worth taking a look at if the exhibition comes to your town. Don’t hold your breath waiting Sudbury, Ontario.

I visited Human Resources of Canada in the Hayes building and spoke to a counselor and picked up: a list of oil industry companies that may be looking for employees. To work on oil rigs one must take a one week course in Nisku. A pamphlet was given to me explaining the nature f the conditions and work on the rigs and the pay structures.
I also received a list of companies that hire temp workers in all industries.

I attended free job search seminar and spoke to a counselor and she advised me that working on oil rigs was not advised. Conditions are arduous and the work is very repetitive. I said that I wanted to get a broader perspective than the rig work offered. I spent two nights in Calgary. I phoned Colleen’s father and said. Hi. He and I had played golf together in Toronto.

I have been watching Suncor’s web site for the past year and now was in the area I applied for a specific temporary position as a Trainer for Suncor in Fort McMurray. This city is quite remote, about 400 miles of Calgary. I shall drive up there to check the place out and be ready for an interview.

Thursday Oct. 13, 2005

Nanton, Lancaster Air Museum,
High River, Spitah Blackfoot word for tall re the trees on the river. Spitzees were trading posts, whisky runners and wolf fur traders driven back into Montana when the RCMP arrived.

Turner Valley Oil Field. Dingman #1 well started the oil boom that lasted only a few months, 1914. Short boom, fraud
.
1924 Royalite #4, to 1947. Imperial Oil.

1947 on Leduc field south of Edmonton established Alberta’s wealth. Camped near Calgary.

Glacier hikes:Grizzlies, St. Mary's, Swift Current Pass, Grinnell Glacier, Going to Sun and Pitamaken Pass.

2005-10-12T18:09:00.000-07:00

Wed. Oct. 5 to Oct. 12, 2005 Glacier hikes everyday for a week.

Canada, finally.

Woke up at 7AM and the wind was howling but the temperature was about 40F. I left the lake and headed for Running Eagle Falls, a sacred place for the Blackfeet, Southern Piegna Tribe. Running Eagle was a female warrior of great repute who came to the falls for vision quests. It was a quick walk from the parking lot to the falls. I noticed that the water was exiting from rock half way down the fall face and not from the river bed above as the picture at the trailhead showed. I couldn’t figure out where the water was coming from, and it was a significant amount. I climbed the gorge wall and followed the river up up. The river bed was dry and then I came across a small trickle of water entering the river bed. About one thousandth of what was coming through the opening in the rocks below. There must be a an underground stream feeding the fall at this time of year and then in the spring the river fills up from the mountain and provides a second source of water making for a very unique type of water fall. I can understand why the Indians have a reverence for this place.

Cooked breakfast in the parking lot, porridge, scrambled eggs and fried potatoes and a steaming mug of hot coffee. Read the final pages of Angela’s Ashes. Great book.

This was the end of my visit to Glacier Park. Leaving from a sacred place was somehow fitting. I too had visions of what lay ahead of me. More sleeping on the road. Job search. Decisions. I would miss my daily hikes and the healthy lifestyle. My face was nice and brown, as were my legs because I hike with the pant legs safety pinned up most of the time. I was surprised that I could hike day after day without needing a rest between. I had just covered more than fifty miles in three days. My diet was very basic and yet I had the stamina for all the situations encountered including the cold and duress.
The ankle that had been broken almost a year ago gave me no signs of discomfort no did the steel plate attached. A could feel a difference between it and the good ankle but it was a minor feeling.

So total collateral damage in three months of being on the road, one lost glove. No injuries, illness or malaise. I remember having written previously ‘It’s a great life if you don’t weaken.’ I hadn’t weakened in fact I felt a self confidence, an inner strength that comes from knowing more about oneself and the reality of the world, especially the natural worlds. I was well prepared for the next stage of journey and my life.

I would now head north to Alberta via the Chief Mountain Hiway. The border crossing on the Hiway into Canada is closed so I have to redirect to Cardston.

Crossed the border without a murmur. Declared my hiking boots and binocular and was waved through.

Cardston is an interesting hamlet in the middle of beef and other farming country; It was first settled by Charles Card who brought the Mormon settlers from Utah into Canada. His original log home built in 1897 is still standing and beautifully maintained. I had a genuine Alberta beef sirloin steak in the Cahoon Hotel café. Delicious and well priced.

Tuesday Oct 11, 2005

I was parked on the Looking Glass Hiway on a logging road. I woke to the sound on workmen on the Hiway a few yards below me estimating the potential for avalanches. Engineers with hard hats were scrambling up embankment and shouting down to the fellows on the road the details.

I needed water for my hike and drove to Kiowa, a very small community at the Junction with Hiway 89. There is a convenience store and café all under one roof and a number of cabins all around the junction. The sign on the door said closed but a head appeared in an upstairs window and asked me what I needed and said he would be down in a minute. I ended up speaking to Larry for two hours, .He is the proprietor and hid wife teaches and two of his children are still living at home. We covered a whole gamut of topics. HE recommended two books to me: The World is Flat by Tom Freeman and Camping by Colin Fletcher.

Larry and have two remarkable sons, one in high school and the other gong to Missoula University on a 4 year scholoarship. Larry described activities the boys have been involved in. I should mention the Kiowa is a town on the Blkackfeet Indian Reservation. The population of Kiowa is 4. That’s Larry, wife and two sons. They are a minority in this area. About 3%. The boys go to Indian school and the question of prejudice might be a factor in the school system. However, both boys have done remarkably well fitting in their environment and taking leadership roles in the school and community. I enjoyed sharing ideas with Larry. He provided me with a complimentary coffee and a home baked rhubarb muffin that his Sue makes; it was fabulous.

Larry mentioned that Grizzlies travel through the area and a few weeks ago one killed a cow on his property of 350 acres. It came back to the carcass every day for four days to feed and then would leave. It was observed by the Park Rangers but no interfered with.

I wish I could have stayed longer to talk. Larry’s business is up for sale should anyone be interested in living in the country and meeting lots of people.

I drove to Two Medicine and parked the car at the lake head. There were many construction crews working on the campsite on various tasks. My destination was Pitamaken Pass and the travel along the Continental Divide for about three miles if conditions permitted and descend at Dawson’s Pass and come through the Valley along ….Lake. Total estimated mileage 17.0 miles. I left at 11.30 AM about two hours later than I would have liked however, I could just do the Pitamakan Pass and return on the same path and it would be a 13.5 mile trip. Elevation rise 2400 feet. Like climbing the CN tower in Toronto twice and coming back down the same distance. Note for these trips I carry a backpack weighing about 15 ponds, with a complete change of clothing, lights and lots of food and emergency supplies. My boots weigh a total of four pounds, so there is quite a lot of effort involved in moving all this uphill.

The trial wound its way through beautiful forest an meadows resplendent in fall colors. The grasses were a rich golden yellow and red berries and leaves dotted the landscape.
A number of the back country campsite had been closed due to the bears being very active in this area. In addition to the typical signage that said bears could kill you additional notices had been placed that the bears were very active on this trail. This meant digging into my repertoire of songs to scare them off.

It took me three hours of steady climbing, with the past few miles zig zagging up the mountain in about 6 inches to a foot of snow. It was a long steady slug, And then wow! Looking back down the valley was beautiful. Now a half mile along the pass to the Pitamakan Lookout over the Continental Divide. This meant walking along the flat of the Pass which was shale rock and then climbing up the side another mountain for half a mile in deep snowdrifts. The paths was not discernable and the one signpost had I presumed been on a 45 degree angle because it pointed over the edge of a cliff to reach the Outlook. I pulled my trail map out but it was to general to be off much help. I could not afford time and precious energy trasping though deep snow and not knowing where I was going. The map said I had to go around a mountain to get to the Dawson Pass trail. I headed up the edge of the mountain through the drifts. I slip and death – no kidding. I would slide into the lakes below right off the slopes if I lost my footing in the snow. I dug in deep and traversed the side of the amounting. And then I was on the edge of the Continental Divide. The mountains made a huge oval around an enormous valley about 7, 000 feet below. One could see the hiking trail outline at the summit of each mountain as they followed the divide for miles. I looked in the direction of Dawson Pass and couldn’t see my trail past the rock shelf I was standing on. I got out the compass. It pointed south across a snow covered slope. My path was beneath the snow. No other travelers had gone before me since the snow. This was very disconcerting. The trail was a goat track about a hundred feet below a ridge top. About a mile away I could see what looked like a trail appear briefly and disappear under snow again. I looked for signs of where to begin and found a solitary set of goat footprints launch into the snow. No rocks, ledges or markers just footprints. I placed my feet in the goat tracks. Absolute madness. The snow was 3 to 6 feet deep. It was like walking on air. The drops were 60 degree angles. The goat seemed to know there was a path under the snow and the many adjustments in direction made sense but no visible markers. I dug my boots deep into the impression left by the goats. I walked with my body almost at the angle of the slope and used my knees as extra support and proceeded to cross the mountain sideways. Every step was draining my energy. Wind was cold but not too strong thank goodness.
I needed gloves on my hands to provide extra support but I had unfortunately lost one glove somewhere on the trail. So I took my binoculars case and wrapped it around one hand and continued to drive my hands into the snow for additional support. So I had six points of contact with the snow. I needed every one of them. About half a mile of this and suddenly the resemblance of a rocky pathway appeared for a few yards and then disappeared again. Time was really against me. My 2.5 mile an hour average was dropping to one mile and hour and this would mean walking through 7 miles of forest in the dark. Not good. I hadn’t stopped to each lunch but know that I would need extra energy. Larry didn’t have bread at the store so I bought a small box of chocolate cookies from him – a treat for me. I had packed a jar of peanut butter for protein and here I was trying to dip the cookies into jar and eat on the slope. It worked. I finished of with a big hunk of Swiss cheese and a whole tomato.

It took me over two hours to cover the three and a half miles of goat path. Luckily the goat went to Dawson Pass. I learned not to deviate one iota from the steps the goat took. If I was one inch below its footprint I would often fid no footing in the snow and find myself in a precarious situation. I learned quickly. If I went to high I would sink unnecessarily deep in the snow and it would take far too much energy to pull out.

When I reached what should have been Dawson Pass there was no sign or it was buried beneath deep snow drifts. One had to climb off the continental Divide Paths onto the pass which was around a hundred feet wide. Flat shale ledge. To do this meant navigating small cliffs down. Very time consuming and scary. One onto the wide ledge I looked for the path down into the valley. Too much snow. I thought perhaps I needed to past another mountain along the continental Divide – I could see an outline of a path on the ridge. However, my instincts and timing said I should be heading down now. I checked the map. The lakes below looked in size as the ones on the map. One was called No Name Lake. And I was on top of No Sign Ridge. There was too much snow to figure out where the path down began. The ledge was about a quarter of a mile or more long. I started on a guess. Deep snow and rocks. Not navigable. Then I noticed fresh human footprints going up across my path. Some else was lost and looking. I made a decision. The valley was below, many thousands of feet. It is forbidden to leave the trails in the park system because of the damage that footprints can do the fragile fauna and
And alpine and sub alpine plants. ground. However, one to two of snow should provide some protection to the fragile fronds so I zig zagged down a steep slope that was not precipitous as had been the other side. About three hundred yards down I came across the same footprints that I had seen earlier. The hiker did exactly the same thing that I did. He couldn’t find the path and headed straight down the slope. I wondered where he had come from? If he had come up from the valley he should know the path. Perhaps he had come from another pass ahead of me. I followed his path down and the prints suddenly ended. There was a twenty foot cliff. I climbed down the cliff very carefully, nice sandstone ledges and saved myself a few more hundred yards walking. . And there I was on a snow covered path heading downhill. I was overjoyed. I had an hour of daylight left and only 5 miles to go. There would be some walking through dark woods tonight. Better than being stuck in the snow at the top of a mountain which had seemed a reality an hour ago. I had mentally prepared for that eventuality. I decided that to sleep high up in a snow drift I would be safe from grizzlies and mountain lions. I could put on my entire set of spare clothes, the ones I carried if I got wet, and I could make a windbreak out the poncho.

The trek through the woods was uneventful other than having to change my socks. I didn’t have gators on and a lot of snow got into the boots. At one point I thought I had caught up with another hiker which was a bit of a relief because I heard quite a lot of whistling coming out of the woods. But, I realized the whistling was coming from the woods to my right. Accompanying the whistling were wolf like howls. Whistling and howling .I would have to find out what was making these sounds when I speak to a Ranger.

There were more path specific bear warnings. These were encased in two pieces of Lexan bolted together and then affixed to the post with U-bolts. This is so the bears don’t rip the signs down and that way trap the unsuspecting tourists. I sang louder still.

Oh, I ran into a moose half way down. I was singing, ‘She’ll be coming round the mountain when she comes’ at full bore and there about 6 feet off the path is a large moose without a rack. The singing didn’t disturb it but the sight of me did and it headed quickly into the forest. Darkness arrived and I put on my headlight with the white LED shining ahead onto the path. By 7.50 PM I was at the car, relieved and exhilarated. The hike took a total of 8 and a half hours and with the extra distances I covered about 18 miles. A good day.

Supper was butter beans, cabbage, mashed potatoes and tuna made into a casserole. Delicious. A can of mandarin’s oranges for dessert. The moon shone brightly, the stars were out in a clear sky. The wind had picked up quite a bit and it was time to wrap up the day. One of the most exhilarating days of my life.

Monday. Oct. 20, 2005

I decided to hike the Going To the Sun Road. It is rated as one of the world’s most spectacular scenic Hiways. The road was closed earlier this year because of avalanches and snow drifts. However, I was able to drive up to the 14 mile point and park the car and climb over the gate, apparently an acceptable practice. My destination was Logan Pass visitor Centre which was also closed, but a good viewing area, and then hike a trail from there on the Hidden Lake Trail. Round trip for both hikes 13 miles.

It was uncanny walking on the road. No traffic and no other hikers. The climb was nice and gradual and the mountain to the front and side were covered in snow. Avalanches trails could be seen clearly on the slope which had been stripped bare. I did the bear calls because both sides of the road were dense forests.

The road went up the side of the mountain in long straight stretches with sudden acute turns. The valley below was covered in thick stands of Lodgepole Pine. Waterfalls were everywhere and a river ran through the valley. The valley was immense and stretches fro miles with various mountains jutting up from the floor. One could see very faint paths along some of the mountains, hiking trails. I stopped dong bear calls because the road dropped off into the valley on one side and rock cliffs bordered the other. Relief.

The road went through the side of the mountain at one point and the tunnel was about 150 yards long. I sang Ave Maria and the acoustics made me sound like Mario Lanzo. Past the tunnel there was a couple of inches of snow and the wind was howling. I had been down to undershirt on the way up, now I was in full winter gear. Windbreaker, rain jacket, toque and gloves and hood up. Avalanche rocks were strewn on the road and on one part half the road was buried. The rocks made divots in the asphalt when they landed. And on the valley side quite a few sections of road had washed away. I could see orange road pylons hundreds of yards below looking like arms with red sweaters on sticking out from between rocks.

The snow sowed that a cyclist had been up here and a pedestrian. I gauged the day before. And right along their tracks were those of a big black or brown bear, all the way up to the Visitor centre The bear had come up an incredibly long slop from the valley and was using to the road to get the higher ground.

I went past the visitor about half a mile and this put me through the pass. I sat on the observation platform that gave me a spectacular view of the downside of the valley between the Garden Wall on the north side of the Hiway and Mount Clements on the side I was on. I had lunch on the platform and spent time identifying landmarks where I had hiked previously. The Grinnell Glacier, yesterdays hike was on the other side of the Garden Wall. This area is also part of the Continental Divide. With binoculars I could see my hike destination from two days ago the Swift Current Lookout. Driving distances from the points were about 50 miles but because of the elevation, I was at about 6000 feet one got a good perspective. One could certainly appreciate why this road get millions of tourists every year. I was very happy to have walked it and got a more intimate feel of valleys without having to stop the car every five minutes at the various lookouts. And how many motorists can stop in the tunnels and starts singing. Precious moments.

Now back to the Visitor Centre and a hike across frozen wastes to Hidden Lake. !.5 miles one way. The snow was deep but had a hard crust. I followed the footsteps of yesterday’s solitary hikes. A nice steady climb in open spaces and then a hair raising few hundred feet on a very steep slope of sheer ice. One had to punch in the ice to get a footing and move along one step at a time. I think it must have rained on snow and then frozen. The drop was only a hundred feet but could have been nasty because of the rock outcrops.

Finally over the top of the crest of the pass and there was Hidden Lake, thousands of feel below absolutely sparkling and shimmering in the sunlight. Reynolds Mountain was to the left and this is a stunning mountain; so this a few glaciers as a backdrop made for a memorable view. To the right was another long valley flanked by the mountains and these were on the west side of the Glacier Perk and had virtually snow.

I dried out my clothing sitting on the ledge of the Visitors Centre out of the wind and it must have been 70F. I stripped down and sunbathed.

The walk back to the car was great. Two Big Horn sheep let me take pictures and also a female Elk which plodded in front of me for about a mile before she went into the bush. Numerous white woolly goats dotted the mountain sides. This was the first hike on which I did not meet another soul. Hard to fathom why more people wouldn’t walk the road.

On the way back to St. Mary I stopped twice to photograph large herds of Elk that were grazing on long grasses across from St. Mary’s Lake. They come down from their mountain habitat for the winter. I still find it difficult to think that people hunt these majestic creatures for sport.

Onto Two Medicine for the next adventure. Sun, snow and wind burned I retired a happy camper on the Looking Glass Hiway.

Sunday Oct. 9, 2005
Highlights. Grinnell Glacier 12 mile + hike round trip. 2 more grizzly bears, 2 Big Horn Sheep.

Restless sleep for unknown reasons. I was quite tired from the hike but woke a number of time thorough the night. I was very hot in the sleeping bag even though it was below 32F outside. Started the day with a cooked breakfast and made my hike lunch up. Lots of fruit and sandwiches. I had heard there was snow on the paths near the glacier so I packed a change of clothing. I wore a track suit which was light and wind proofed.

Phoned Kate, Nancy and Ed in Milwaukee. Kate is hostessing their Canadian Thanksgiving and the two friends are visiting her for the weekend. I said I missed being with them because we have enjoyed many a Thanksgiving together as group including our respective family members. I phone Debbie, another one the group and wished her a happy thanksgiving.

The sky was almost cloudless so views should be good. The trail head started into the woods going past a couple of lakes. There was a large lodge on one of the lakes, but closed for the season. The trail opened up onto the side of the foothills of the mountain and rose steadily, making a steep climb. I could see all the way up to a glacier. About half way three young people obviously very excited said they had just surprised two large grizzly bears on the path. They sowed me pictures one had taken. I asked how the bears acted; they said the bears were just as surprised as the trio and quickly hurried further up the path. Another couple who had been walking following the trio saw the bears and decided they didn’t wan to go any further. I asked more questions as to the bear’s behavior and direction. The path at this point was a few thousand feet up and very narrow with some sharp drops. Not a good place to evade anything .single file hiking for a while with lots of sharp turns around rock outcrops. Did not look good. I asked the trio where they were from. The two men were from Chicago and Denver and the young lady was from Georgia. They were working for the National Park service for the summer. I weighed up their reaction the facts and my desire to finish the walk. I had no desire to meet the bears on the path. I told the trio what my car looked liked and help themselves to anything they wanted if I didn’t make it back.
I pulled out my pepper, increased the frequency and amplitude of my bear call and continued up the path. There were a lot of blind nerve wracking curves. I stopped more frequently on the turns and hollered. Apparently the trio had been making lots of noise too but the wind was carrying it in the wrong direction. This was also the least favorable condition for the pepper spray. It would come right back at me if I sprayed it and have minimal impact on the bear. I continued for about a mile and then a rock cut appeared. The first time I could see anything but sort lengths of path. And lo and behold about a hundreds yards up the slope above the path were two big grizzly bears busy digging up something from the ground. I continued my bear holler to test their reaction. There was no reaction which meant even at that short range the sound was being carried off and so was my scent. I took a chance and continued quietly along the path hoping I could far enough ahead of the bears to be able to see them coming. There were lots of avenues they could use. Along the top of the rock cut, through the trees or back down the path and catch up with me. They can travel at30 MPH so I needed a good head start. The glacier area was about half a mile ahead, but a steep climb first up a slope. I couldn’t see well enough fro the slope to see the bears so I climbed a 100 foot high shale ridge. Wind was howling up there but I could see all paths except for a wooded area. No bears. I dropped a few feet down the ridge found a rock to sit on, out of the wind and really enjoyed my salami and cheese sandwiches.

The glacier was lie being on the moon. Frozen lakes of water with icebergs I them and shorelines of ice walls. The ground in front of the glacier was a beautiful sandstone colour. The mountain cliffs rose a thousand feet out of the glacier, sheer and jagged at the top and snow covered. Awe inspiring.
The area was about half a mile wide and I trekked along the shore of the frozen lake carefully picking substantial looking rocks. There were many small frozen ponds on the visible at the sides of my path and I hoped there were surprise holes under the snow. I made it to the sign that warned that going beyond this point was dangerous. Drilled into the rock was a survey marker but they hadn’t inscribed the height. I had seen a sign earlier that said that the glacier was at 2046 metres.

I watched small birds dipping their heads into the icy water at the waterfalls that ran from the frozen lake. The wind was about 40 MPH and probably never lets up. I presumed these birds to be dippers. There were lots of footprints of small animals around the rocks. The glacier looked vary dangerous in pars with large crevasses. I noticed that another person had visited the area recently and I wondered why I hadn’t seen them. The prints were fresh so I followed them down the path past three rock urns that had been developed by climbers. I had scanned again for the bears and could not see them However, surprise I found their footprints coming up the mountain in the snow and meeting the other person who I had not seen. That means that the bears followed my foot steps at some point. I started my bear call proceeded down the slope toward the trees. On the first bend I found a lady scanning the slopes. She had the two grizzlies in her sights about two hundreds yards away. One big brown and one dirty colored yellow for with a dark patch on his hump. The same to bears I had seen earlier. We watched them and the lady proceed down the path. She had been watching them for about an hour while I was exploring the glacier. They had heard me hollering and moved farther down the slope in response the noise.

I caught up with the lady about twenty minutes down the slope and continued to walk down to the trailhead chatting. Her mane is Mary and she is the Superintendent of trails for the park. I told her how impressed I was with the location and condition of the trial –which falls under her jurisdiction. She said the most difficult par of the job is getting adequate funding for maintenance. Presently the Iraq war is resulting in a 20% cut to park budgets. I asked Mary, who had followed me up the trail, and who had also been advised by the young trio of the bears ahead, if she had been worried. She said o, she comes out to see the bears and is familiar with these two and their habits. She has been in the park service for thirty years and has never had a bad experience. She mentioned the couple who had been mauled a few weeks ago on this very path. She said that they had probably run into bears that were traveling and the couple had surprised them. We discussed favorite places we had visited in Glacier and in the State of Wyoming. I told her that I had driven thousands of miles in the Big Horn Mountains, the Big Horn Canyon, the Big Horn Gorge and the list goes on, and I had not even seen one Big horn Sheep. Before she had time to respond two Big Horn sheep were standing 10 yards away from us above the trail. I was ecstatic and bewildered. This is unbelievable, I said. How on earth in the very instant I am telling her my story can two magnificent rams show up? It’s called mathematical probability but for me it was just a great big coincidence.

I decided to do a hike in another part of the park the next day so I drove south to St. Mary’s Campground, made a delicious meal and slept in a small grove of Silver birch trees. I t was very windy and the small twigs kept breaking off the trees and hitting the car.

Sat . Oct 8, 2005

Chatted with Cathy and Larry from Kalispell about their experiences in the park then set off on my hike. They had a great grizzly come right into campsite. Larry had a business card with the bear’s photographs as the background.

Swift Current Pass was the destination and the Granite Park Chalet if I had time. 15 mile total both ways and a steep 2400 foot climb in the last third of the hike. Started off following a series of lake on an easy gradual slope into a dead end canyon. Took pictures of a mother moose and her young one. They totally ignored my bear calls. The trail went through a lot of dense brush and I sung, clapped and made hooting noises so as not to disturb a bear, especially one that might be sleeping on the path. This was a piece of information provided by Bill. Bears like to sleep in the day time and the ‘crash’ anywhere they want to. Because all animals use the trails the hiker’s do it is not unusual to fond one sleeping on the paths. They don’t like to be surprised or woken out of their sleep – I suppose that’s the same thing. Then they get nasty.

The path out of the canyon to the pass was a zig zag goat uphill trail and it disappeared into snow. some where up the mountain. The climb was a steady slog but the fun part was where small avalanches had wiped out the goat path. One had to clamber over loose rocks and shale. There was absolutely no room for error. If one slipped on the shale it was a thousand foot sheer drop or very steep slope. Managed to navigate over two of those and then the path, which is only one to two feet wide was buried under a series of snow drifts with the snow hanging over the edge of the precipice. The drifts were up to four foot deep and about 10 feet long. The only way to traverse the path at these points was to push ones foot into the snow and deep as it would go and get a balance on one leg and then do the same with the other leg. Any loss of balance would result in tumbling down the mountain. There is no exaggeration in this account. It was with utmost concentration that I had plan and then execute the moves to make it through the drifts. On one side of the path were sheer walls of craggy rocks. Where possible I held ledges to get balance. Because the path was going up and around a mountain the wind would howl as I turned a corner.

I finally made it off the zig zags and found myself in a winter wonderland. Of frozen snow. It festooned the treed and hid the rocks. Other than tiny tufts of grass pocking up here and then it was sheet ice and still going up. I lost the trail a number of time and wasted time and energy backtracking. Snow drifts up to four feet made going slow. I finally decided to follow the running stream up the mountain and came across small glacial ponds. I finally could see where the pass went through to mountain walls and was rewarded once again with a spectacular view of the Livingston Range and many other mountains across a deep valley. I decided head for the Granite Lodge but had to hurry because the climb up had taken me 4 hours. The lodge and a few outbuildings was perched on a cliff and afforded magnificent views.

And lo and behold who should I meet at the Granite Park Chalet, three intrepid travelers Julie, Eric and Russ. And what a warm welcome they gave me. They had hiked in from the Sun Road and traveled just a few miles. A much easier route. They now my route, having done it before and they encouraged me to start heading home soon. So I left them at 4.30PM with about two and a half hours before dark. I definitely had to get into the valley and off the mountain before nightfall. I was going to climb to the Swift Current Lookout Tower but it was a torturous slope and covered in deep snow drifts. I wisely decided to give it a pass. The first part of the climb to the pass was up hill and through the winter wonderland it was flat for a short distance and then the descent. I stopped to eat an orange and there about 6 feet in front of me were 6 White Ptarmigan. They were feeding on the tufts of grasses and flowers pocking through the snow. They looked at me with curiosity but not fear so I was able to get a get photo of them with the valley and lakes thousand of feet below. I also took pictures of a glacier to my left and the reflection of clouds I a glacial pond a few hindered feet below me. I looked up at the Lookout Station hundreds of feet above me on Swift Current Mountain with a small tinge of regret. I would have liked to meet the challenge of climbing up there, but with the drifts if could have taken hours. Julie had mentioned their friend used to be a look out at the tower and was in it when forest fires were raging on the mountain. There was the danger she could be asphyxiated by the smoke. Apparently they didn’t rescue her and she survived.

Friday Oct. 7, 05

Slept in till 8AM even though I lights out had been 10PM night before. Was woken up a number of times through the night by torrential downpours which pounded on the roof of the car like a tin drum. The rain didn’t let up with daylight so I decided to drive to the one horse village of Babb and get a cooked breakfast at the Supper Club. I was greeted by a cherry welcome from the owner, Bob Burns – I was mistaken thinking the owner was the man who had sent me across the street a couple of days before for my hamburger. Bob and a couple of locals were chatting about the problems of the world. Naturally I quickly added my two cents worth and ended recommending they read Noam Chomsky’s literature on treaties and how they establish the basis for world politics. Bob said he and his people were experts on broken treaties and didn’t have much faith in them. I asked Bob about his business. He has been in this location for thirty five year and is very busy in the summer. At this time he does banquets and weddings. The café which is considered a separate business serves breakfast daily and may start to stay open all year round. I brought my laptop in to show Bob what I had written about my earlier experience with one of the staff. He invited me to go upstairs and look around the restaurant. I welcomed the opportunity and took photos of some of the remarkable surroundings including the sculpture of the Indian buffalo jump. The tables were set for a function that evening and looked inviting. Each place setting had a story about Bob’s and his wife’s native family history. Moonshine run by a grandfather provided the seed money for further business development.

The breakfast was superb. I chose the corn beef hash and eggs. Big portions including chunky hash browns (not the stringy kind) which were nicely spiced, and thick slices of toasted wheat bread washed down with unlimited mugs of coffee and real cream. At $7.95 plus coffee. I chatted with Mike the chef and he told me of his love for cooking and experimenting with new ideas. I gave him a written list of some of my favorite cookbooks and food related books and a suggestion that he try making some Borscht soup, something he had not heard of.

Suggestions:

Much to do about dinner - Margaret Visser's
Higher taste Hindu (Hare Krishna) cookbook which has a fabulous 5 nut meatloaf recipe.
Smithstonian Institute cookbook that describes many recipes those immigrants brought with them and how they adapted them to North American foods – e.g. baked Raccoon and Sauerkraut,
Wild food cookbooks for locally adapted recipes for a region.

So remember, if you go Bob’s don’t forget to ask for Borscht soup and oh yes their very famous Montana steak with Bob’s own secret recipe sauce.

The drive back to campsite was eventful. A crowd of a dozen or so serious photographers, all had tripods, telephotos and even space telescopes were shooting a big grizzly bear on a slope about a hundred yards above the road. It totally ignored the throng on the road and the coming and going of cars. It was wearing a collar to which was attached a radio signal device so the Rangers could track the bear. Sort of a Martha Stewart renegade no doubt. I wondered what it had done to deserve such an ignominious ‘status’ symbol. Probably raiding the camper ‘stock’ piles.

I chatted with Kelly the hiker I had met before and she let me use her 4 oz. Zeus binoculars. Spectacular clarity. She told me the Ranger’s had fitted a dozen wolverine with radio devices. We chatted about the hike up to Ptarmigan Tunnel and she described the ordeal she gone through in the snow. Due to operations on her hands she was unable to use her hands to support herself from falling in the deep snow and had to use her elbows and body. No wonder she was so wet yesterday after coming down the mountain. She and Rick are camping for a month in this region. I promised her I would send Dick’s list of survival equipment for serious hikers.

I drove on a few hundred yards and studied a river basin and spotted a giant brown bear that was a big as a grizzly. He walked in and out of the river and up a slope feeding on the ways. A group of Merganser ducks swimming in the river gave him a wide berth. Got a half a dozen good photographs.

Drove to the Grinnell Glacier trailhead another hundred yards down the road and studied the grassy slopes that rose for miles both high and wide on Apikuni Mountain. 9068 feet. Using my binoculars I spotted an adult grizzly directly in front of me about a hundred yards away. A younger bear came and went but I lost sight of it. Again some good photographs. Then half way up the mountain, just very small shapes with the binoculars and impossible to see without I spotted a herd 30 + of Big Horn sheep, distinct with their white rumps. This was my first real sighting in 1000’s of miles in Bighorn country. This side of the mountain provides shelter and food year round and gets very little snow.

It was now noon and even though there was some sunshine to the east train clouds were still above all the mountains and visibility was be very poor in the valleys so I decided to stay in the car and write and then go wildlife spotting which seemed to be a common activity in this valley. I think most of the people still camping are all serious photographers. The lodges are all closed and the motels in Babb didn’t look as though they had many customers.

Score card now reads 6 grizzlies and two Brown bears plus the assortment of goats and sheep. I am a happy camper, although I must admit seeing the bears in the distance doesn’t have quite the same impact as meeting them on the path. But, I honestly hope that I don’t meet any more on the path having seen the size of them. The words dangerous and unpredictable stay with me. Definitely not worth the risks. A couple I met on the path to St. Mary’s falls had a small dog on a leash – not recommended in all the literature provided by the Park. I told them I had seen the grizzly tracks. The man said, “Oh, it would be fun to see a bear in the wild.” I hope the bear makes a wise choice culinary choice and spares the dog.

The camper animal patrols are out in force. I am parked in a choice viewing spot and the same cars keep going by me but not stopping. My strategy pays off. I read a bit and then scan the mountain slopes. I spot three grizzly bears a few hundred up the slopes. They look similar to the trio that I saw yesterday miles away to the west. So they are now 5 in general vicinity today.
By 3PM the clouds had thickened and all the mountains disappeared and the rain was incessant. I put my big wool jacket and toque on to save running then engine and started office paperwork. I am culling files and making decisions about various types of information we gather over long periods and the best was

I would like to spend a moment talking about my general state. It is good. 11 weeks on the road. At least two of the meals a day cooked on campfire. Out in all weathers. No idea of what is going to happen in the future. Health very good. Not even a sniffle, cough or sore throat. Energy level very high.

While typing a young couple came along and I asked what they were doing walking in the rain. The young lady replied and from her accent I said I know because you are British. Nel and her partner Mat were on a driving tour through Montana and Wyoming. And would you believe that Mat was from my hometown of Eastbourne, England. Went to Cavendish School, I had gone to Ratton. His father is a Professor at Brighton University. I had gone to Brighton Tech. which is now part of that University. Mat works for Norig,,,,,, Insurance. I was in the process of asking where Nel works, she has a degree in Ecology, but she had to get back to their car because her lips were turning blue in the wind. It was so gracious of them to stand out in the cold and exchange stories with me.

As I said, the bear patrol was in full force, and Bill rolled up in a truck and asked me if I had spotted anything. I gave my report and in turn told me about the ‘Bear nuts’ that inhabit the park in addition to the bear. These people are similar to the people who follow tornadoes. They are a fraternity. At this and many other parks they spots bears, the follow them, they report to each other any thing and everything they can about the bears they have sighted. While Bill and I were chatting about bears and his career another regular announced that he had called the Ranger office about a small fire that was giving off a lot of smoke up one the mountains. It may have been a distress signal. Rangers were dispatched to investigate. About 6 weeks ago and father and daughter had been mauled by a grizzly in that area and the bear had not been killed. It was now dark and I left Bill to go and cook my supper. Lovely home made tomato soup with fresh vegetables and meat stew.

Thurs. Oct. 6, 2005

Today was the day. I say this in retrospect because I had no idea it would be such an absolutely brilliant day. Had a long sleep from 9PM to 8AM. Last night I read for an hour from Angela’s Ashes with my new infra red headlamp and was pleased with both the book and its illumination. Breakfast was nutritious and my packed lunch had me longing for that part of the day. My planned hike was a leisurely 10 miler to Iceberg Lake with a possible add on of 5 miles to Ptarmigan Tunnel and pass. I wanted time to use the binoculars and really get to know the terrain without trying to maintain averages. This schedule also meant I could enjoy my breakfast, clean and tidy the car and come home to a nice environment.

The first mile took me through bush and then onto a trail on which one side was rock ledges and great meadows rising up to the bottom of the soaring cliffs. There were clumps of bushes scattered across the meadows and the vast open spaces made it easier to spot animals. However, easy is not the right word because the range of visibility stretched for miles so one had to be vigilant and thorough in scanning the terrain. This meant frequent stops, something that is not consistent with the average hiker’s aims. Most hikers average about 2 MPH. I try and maintain 3 MPH.

About a mile on the trek I met Bob Chinn who looked as though he was going to do a documentary. He had a large professional movie camera, a sort of CBC model and a tripod. I asked if I would see any of his work published. He laughed and said in a year or so on the internet. Bob new the Glacier area very well and said he was on an easy hike that day and focusing on filming. We both scanned the meadows and within seconds Bob picked out three objects which he said could be rocks or bears. I checked with my binoculars and by that time the rocks were moving and we were watching a hug Grizzly bear with 2 year old cubs foraging. They traveled quite quickly and closer to us. Luckily they were a few hundred yards up the mountain slope and a layer of heavy brush separated us. We watched the cubs follow the mother until she stopped by various foods sources. The mother had a huge hump on her back and the body hair around the hump was that of the fall coloured grasses. The babies had similar markings. We watched a while. I took a few shots with the digital on zoom and left Bob to do the serious photography.

The rest of the five mile hike was pleasant and interesting. Sun was shining and temperatures were about 50F. There was day old snow on the trail and a mountain lion had left tracks, as had a Grizzly. I became more fervent in my delivery of “She’ll be coming round the Mountain when she comes.” I could see the mountain lion had been stalking small game and hunter and hunter prints disappeared into the bush. Then the bush opened up onto a mountain side which gave me clear visibility down the slopes. I should mention I was surrounded by peaks of mountains in every direction and I was in the valley. Then on the path were large ‘dumpings’ of partially digested orange berries at about hundred yard intervals. Another sign of bear, but Black Bear cleaning out it’s intestines before hibernation. I could see the berries were being picked on this path. I was vigilant. But nothing appeared and I arrived at Iceberg Lake in a howling snowstorm with clouds swirling over the mountaintops. The snow died down but the wind didn’t and I sat on a rock looking at an amphitheatre of mountains surrounding me. The lake was pretty blue even without sun on the water. My enjoyment of a sandwich was suddenly disrupted by a loud crack like a rifle shot, followed by thunder and an avalanche launched down cliffs to my left. I managed to get a shot of the snow clouds. I didn’t think there was enough snow on these almost vertical cliffs, however, the areas one looks at is so vast that large fir trees look like matchsticks. And because these are glacial deposits the snow can be covering crevices that are hundreds of feet deep. Two more eruptions occurred in the next thirty minutes. Other than the cold, a beautiful spot.

I went back on the same path and made lots of noise and there it was, the intestine cleanser. Just about 100 feet ahead of me a few feet down the slop from the path, my path, a big black bear. It had heard my singing and stopped eating and was sniffing the air. It didn’t pick up my scent and by this time I was silent. I took a few pictures as it ambled from bush to bush eating the orange berries. I was stuck. I needed to go past the bear. I risked getting its attention. I hid behind a fir tree and my whooping bear noise. The bear immediately ran up the slope to the path. Now I had to reveal my presence so that it wouldn’t run toward me. By this time the bear was on the path, stood on its hind legs, sniffed, and saw me. I raised my arms and made a V with them to make myself look bigger. The bear bolted along the path away from me. I gave it about a minute and followed. I took pictures of its fresh prints and kept making the whopping noises. I found a stream gulley which was its obvious escape route. Great moment. Both bear and I live to tell the tale. I had been practicing all morning how to draw the pepper spray from its Velcro holster and not get flustered. I was very happy to have seen 4 bears today and still have $35 worth of spray (7 ounces) in the can.

Now who do you think was watching all this? Two familes of goats. One group was brown and the others had fluffy beautiful white fur. The male of the latter group had four prongs coming out of his head. I must avoid getting in front of him. Luckily they stayed on the ledges about 75 feet above the path.

I was doing on my timing and decided to hike another five mile return to Ptarmigan Tunnel. It was steep climb to a lake and there ahead of me was a almost sheer vertical cliff covered in snow. Mountain slopes on either side. A lake at the bottom. Very picturesque by where was the tunnel? At that point to hikers who I had seen earlier (the only two on the trails beside myself) stopped to tell me the conditions were tough, and dangerous. They made it to the tunnel but legs and footwear were soaked and they were freezing and in a desperate rush to get back to camp before getting hypothermia. They were wearing cotton which is suicide in these conditions.

I followed their path and the trail up the cliff face. It was a typical goat track going from left to right across the entire expanse of the cliff face. The snow was up to three feet in place and the wind was howling at about 40-50 MPH. I was quite hot from the climb and decided to change into dry clothing at the tops. There was very small loose shale under the snow and the drops of the path would be unforgiving. I didn’t look down. I just stepped in my predecessor’s foot holes and focused on staying balanced. Half an hour of this and there it was, a tunnel carved through the rock about fifty feet below the crest of the pass. There were large steel doors at either end of the tunnel. I set the camera on automatic and posed for a picture in the tunnel entrance. Great picture – not. A whopping great icicle dropped from the rocks above and bounced off my toque and flattened me. I slipped on the sheer ice floor and thanked my lucky stars I was wearing head gear. I walked to other end of the 50 foot tunnel. Oh my goodness. 10 foot high snowdrift by the exit and then the most amazing view down into the valley below complete with the obligatory aquamarine lake. Breathtaking. I noticed that the way down was by goat track on the edge of a cliff. I didn’t have a map so after anther sandwich I headed back down my side of the mountain. I had stripped down and put on dry clothing under my wind jacket. My new boots and socks were toast and my windbreaker pants were doing their job. I pulled the hood of my jacket over my toque and headed down the slopes. It was not easy. However, having someone else’s footprints helped a lot. I was pleased to back in the valley safe and sound. I stopped to look for mountain lions but no luck. Too early, not quite dusk. A few miles I was back at the campsite and cooked a new stew on the stove while it rained. I can manage to sit in the car and have the stove by the door and keep dry. The car looks like a Chinese laundry with all my wet stuff hanging around being dried by the heater. I leave the air conditioner and heater on at the same time to get rid of the moisture. So pouring rain ends the day. But what a day. 15 miles of hiking in 8.5 hours, three grizzlies, one black bear, mountain goats and a tunnel through a mountain.

Wed. Oct. 5, 2005
Last night I left Browning and headed for East Glacier and went to one of my back woods haunts to sleep. It was very cold overnight and I awoke to the sight of trees laden with snow. A nice hot water shave and wash stripped to the waste started the day. The early morning sun was warning and there was very little wind so I survived the ordeal. Full hot breakfast and I was on the road by 10 AM.

Drove north on the Looking Glass Hiway to St. Mary’s. There was still snow on the winding road that clung to the mountain although plenty of gravel had been put down. Nevertheless, it was a nail biter on a few curves, but the views were worth every bead of sweat. One could see across the valleys and lakes into a cluster of 10,000 foot high mountains. The air was clear and sunny and it made for some great pictures.

At St. Mary’s ranger station I was told that the ‘Going To The Sun Road’ would not be opened again this year. A great pit because it is the focal point of Glacier Park. So I drove up the 14 mile portion that was open and hiked the trails to St. Mary’s Falls and Virginia Falls. Only about 4 miles round trip but very pleasing. Virginia Falls is a couple of hundred feet high and cascades nicely down rock ledges after it leaves the pool. The highlight of the walk was finding fresh Grizzly bear footprints on the trail in the mud and in the fresh snow on the bridge by the falls. A ranger later confirmed they were Grizzly prints from my photos. .

A few more quick stops on the road to admire the mountains. There are about ten visible from this road to where it is closed. Each has a distinct shape and many of the names reflect this. I liked Little Big Chief and Fusillade, although Going To the Sun Mountain was the most impressive with its sheer cliffs and
Pointed peak. Building a road around this mountain was an engineering masterpiece especially in the 1930’s when it was completed. At the end of winter there are numerous avalanches that have to be cleared and up to 70 foot deep snowdrifts. Crews work from both side of the mountain till they meet.

Finished hiking about 4 PM and drove up to the crossroad of Babb. There is a famous Supper Club there that specializes in steak and seafood. The exterior of the building is somewhat non descript but the inside is resplendent in lacquered wood finishes and rock formations. Apparently is was rated as one of the top eatery attractions in one horse towns in USA. The owner was a little miffed when I unwittingly asked for a cheeseburger and fries to go. As I said the outside didn’t do the establishment justice. And perhaps my being sent across the road the Pizza and Burger joint, a giant bar and eatery, was a shame. Had the owner of Babb, s given me a tour of the place, explained its history and the menu specialties, I would have been willing to splurge on one of their famous steaks.

I settled into a $6 wilderness campsite at the Many Glacier park campground and got ready for a cold night. There was an enormous snow covered mountain rising right out of the campsite area and a strong wind was blowing up the valley. I picked a campsite sheltered by pines. Only half a dozen of the over 150 sites was occupied. The lodge across the road with hundreds of wooden cabins was already closed for the season. The general store was boarded up. Winter has already arrived here. Remote, wild and unpredictable. Really looking forward to my hike tomorrow.

Mon. Oct. 3, - 4, 2005. Surviving in the Glaciers, Avalanch Lake hike, snowing, Browning

2005-10-04T15:30:00.000-07:00

Tuesday Oct. 4, 2005

Awoken by a diesel truck going by my parking spot just off the lane. The driver didn’t stop; I looked at my watch. 7 AM. Still dark. Must be a logger on his way to work. Sure enough ten minutes later a second truck. By this time I had packed away my sleeping gear and was ready to leave. I didn’t want to get into a discussion as to whether this was a private road or not. The fact that every truck has a shotgun or rifle hanging in its rear window, makes it better to avoid discussion; one should be familiar with each States laws about defending property rights before going up country lanes.

Within minutes of getting onto the Hi way I was driving in three inches of snow. I called the Glacier Park office and they advised me it would snow all day. I decided to head to East Glacier for breakfast and then to the Indian town of Browning and do some paper work and wait for the weather to clear. I wanted to drive the spectacular Looking Glass Hi way and needed clear visibility to make it worthwhile.

I shopped in some of the Indian stores and was surprised at the combination of Indian and regular merchandize in most stores. This is Blackfeet and Plains Indian territory but functions just any other community. The heritage is definitely proudly promoted. I purchased a pair of goatskin gloves ready for my hike in snow.

The Browning Library where I am writing from does not have wireless. It is a concrete block building on a side street. One librarian handles all the tasks. It has an area dedicated to children. No comfy reading area for browsing, just some plastic chairs and arborite tables. There was a tray of free books. “The Reef” by Edith Wharton caught my eye but I need to finish the books in the car first. I spoke to the librarian. I commented on the ‘old’ building. The ceiling tiles circa 50-60’s were brown with nicotine stains from when smoking was permitted. The book selection and section was very small and this is partly because this is the poorest county on Montana. Every now and again a child would come in a pick a book from a selection that would be half of what I have at the cottage. I recalled my child hood days when I visited the local library in my home town of Eastbourne, Sussex in England. It was on the corner of Firle Road and Seaside. It was a handsome building, with numerous sections where one could tuck one’s self away, with massses of choices from favourite topics. Heading to St. Mary later today.

Monday Oct. 3, 2005

I woke to rain, mist and temp. about 40F. It was a peaceful night on the river’s edge, no visitors, and no officials asking my business. There is evidence that this is a spot for lover’s trysts and I had avoided parking in the more lonely section of the parkette so as not to spoil someone’s evening by taking their favourite spot. Perhaps the cool weather was in my favour for a peaceful night. A good solid breakfast took away the lethargy that comes from being cocooned all night in a sleeping bag. The weather was useless for hiking and I decided to return some of the shopping items purchased. I decided to trade up my hiking boots from $29 Wal-Mart pair to the $149 Vasque brand that I had tried on at the Army and Navy store. Significantly more expensive but they could be used as all purpose winter and summer wear. I have never owned a decent par of winter boots and this was an opportunity to make sure that I was well equipped for difficult hiking with a big pack and would also have warm and dry feet during everyday use. The Wal-Mart boot was super value and tough and light bu a bit bulky for everyday use. One wonders how they can sell very good looking footwear for a quater of the price of equivalents in other store. There's a story in there somewhere. Exchange meant driving back to Kanispell, but this time I went via Whitefish and saw the massive ski slopes that are in the Whitefish Mountain Range. Developement everywhere, ski chalet villages etc. Baby boomer retirement time.

Later in the day I drove back to West Glacier. I decided to get a five mile hike in and chose the Avalanche Lake trail at the northern tip of Lake Macdonald. The final part of the drive was interesting because the river gorges were full of deep really fast moving water. The beginning of the trail was a dense growth I heard about visiting here in summer when the rods are clogged with traffic. I drove the “Road to the Sun’ Hi Way but it was still closed beyond the trailhead I had chosen.

The trail rose gradually following the small river that ran as from the lake. I had purchased a can of Bear Spray (pepper spray) earlier in the day as insurance in the event of surprising bear or mountain lions. However, I still whistled, sang and clapped my hands as I walked to warn lurking predators I was on the trail. The woods were quite dense in part and the ground was littered with thousands of fallen tree that had been lying around for hundreds of years, and they were covered in thick mosses. Finally at lake level I entered an amphitheatre a mile or so across with cliff rising many thousands of feet. Some of these were topped snow capped mountains. Waterfalls cascaded from the top to the bottom making this a memorable sight. Light was fading so I limited my shore explorations of the lake to about fifteen minutes. I wish I had a fishing rod so that I could catch my limit of two Cut Throat Trout and fry them up on the shore. I have to decide if I want to make fishing part of my adventures. The place that I have visited present world class fly and lure fishing as is evident by all the people I have seen standing in the stream and lakes in waders. It got dark before I reached the trailhead and this gave me an opportunity to try my new strap on headlight. The red LED lights for night vision were very effective and make reading the rock and wet leaf strewn path easy to decipher. The single white LED light was adequate and the Krypton spotlight bulb was remarkably good for long distance. Good value for about $15. The prices go up to $60 with numerous different bulb options. This one uses three AAA batteries with projected time of 100 plus hours. The bulbs last a lifetime. Good for reading in bed as well. Might look a bit kinky with the headstraps.

I left the park and decided to skip my plan of hiking to Browns Look Out which had been recommended to me. The visibility would be poor for the next couple of days and it was a tough vertical climb and seemed pointless if I couldn’t see anything. I headed onto Hi way 2 found a logging road, drove in for a couple of miles and settled in for the night.
I thought it would be a peaceful spot but during the night I was woken by the most blood curdling screams and cries I have every heard. They lasted a few minutes. I was disoriented at first and didn’t understand what was happening. The noises subsided then rose again. I was up the side of a mountain in a forest and could only think of a Screech Owl and its unfortunate prey making these sounds. I lay awake for a while and then crashed.

Sun.Sept. 25 - Sun Oct. 2, 05 Lewis/Clark, Sulphur Springs, Glacier Park Montana, Polebridge, 28 mile hike and bear!

2005-10-02T21:02:00.000-07:00

Sunday Oct. 2, 2005.

Still raining hard. More snow sprinkled the mountain tops in the valley. A few local people came down to look at the river and said hello as I cooked breakfast beside the car. Hot porridge, boiled eggs, sourdough bread and tea. Each one of my visitors was dressed in camouflage clothing- typical wear in these parts. One man who had moved from the Adirondacks said that Montana was a great physical place to live but one couldn’t earn a decent living here. Although everyone was guaranteed a job the minimum wage was very low. Many of the men here have long hair and or beards. You can tell the outdoor workers or sportsman from their healthy complexions. The vehicles of choice seems to be a truck with a diesel engine.

Completed my laundry and grocery shopping in Columbia Falls. Stocked up for the week as the prices were reasonable after I signed up for the discount card. Caught up on my web banking: put some more money on the credit cards, checked the performance of my portfolio for the past week. I sold my Viceroy gold stock earlier in the week for a $500 profit and now need to reinvest. My guru’s newsletter recommends more energy trusts as the price of oil will stay above $60.

Stopped in at a Montana Coffee House in town which is a franchise that uses Costa Rican coffee (with the laborers getting a fair deal, environmentally responsible, etc.). They have a happy hour with a dollar off an espresso. Because they had not made a fresh pot of regular coffee the waitress gave me an strong espresso at a regular coffee price and the $1 off. Nice bargain but I learned that strong coffee does not agree with me. Too hard on the nervous system. I am going to restrict myself to an early in the day coffee. I had just bought a filter to try and make myself a morning coffee rather than buying it in a restaurant but I think I will have to monitor my caffeine intake.

Wrote this log sitting on a river bank watching fisherman and hunters come and go. Montana obviously attracts the sportsman. Men with guns slung across their back passed the car a few times. The weather is clearing up a bit but the forecast isn’t good. I hope to see the famous “Road to the Sun”, rated as one of the most spectacular highways in the world, but it’s been closed for the past few days due to avalanches. Regardless of the weather I hike tomorrow.
Found another spot to write this blog and sleep by the river. Supper will be a can of locally made stew. Too dark to cook a real meal although I have a good supply of fresh vegetables.

Saturday: Oct. 1, 2005
Hot cinnamon buns and Danish’s with more coffee for breakfast. Deb and her husband (the pastry chef extraordinaire) own and run the operation. They even have apprentices including Sheila. Their granddaughter Daysha joined Dick and I for breakfast in a small nook in the corner of the store.

Dick showed me enlarged colour photos from a small portfolio in his car of some of his previous hikes in Alaska which included close-ups of numerous Grizzly bears feeding and playing. The other notable photos were of him at the peaks of Alaskan mountains in unbelievable snow conditions. I had met a truly remarkable man to take on these challenges on his own. (He climbed some places in Alaska with his brother who lives there. Dick calls his love of adventure ‘personal freedom’ and considers it a rare commodity that most people have relinquished. It ties in with a great respect for the environment and fully appreciating every moment in life.

We said a sad farewell at noon and headed off to our respective destinations. We will keep in touch. Dick publishes his 1000 mile a year hiking itinerary so people can join him part of the way. I promised him I would get ready for back country (overnight) hiking for next year.

It was still raining hard so I headed south about 30 miles out of the Glacier region to the town of Kalispell to shop for gear for my next hike. Purchases included a pair of leather waterproof boots (the price ranges from $40 to $200). I bought mine at Wal-Mart and may rue the day. They were so relatively inexpensive that I could afford to buy better ones if needed. Then at a hunting goods store I bought a basic a headlamp with LED lights, thermal polyester under garments, rain pants, Merino wool socks and a small stash of dehydrated food. E.g Chicken and Rice, two servings for $5.49 US – just add boiling water

I slept on the bank of the Flathead River (which had risen about three feet with the rains) just outside of the village of Columbia Falls. The country roads which led to the river were dotted with modern homes on spacious land. The mountains just a few fields away were snow and cloud covered and were illuminated by occasional moon beams.. Owls hooted around my campsite. Rain pelted down waking me up in the night. This is the life-if you don’t weaken.

Friday. Sept. 30, 2005

Dick and I had breakfast at the store and lashings of good coffee. There was a patio set of willow furniture superbly handcrafted on the store porch and a second round of munchies and coffee helped use up the morning. We chatted with the owners of the store, locals and other tourists that popped in on a regular basis – rather surprising given the remoteness of the place. However, retirees have been buying up properties en masse.

We spent the rest of the day drying out our gear and planning next moves. Dick is going to hike backcountry for 4 days. I am going to try and see the Sun Highway and do day hikes.

Lunch was a beer from the store and another of their great sandwiches. Fochacia cheese, eggplant, mushrooms and other delectable ingredients. I took a photo of the counter display but couldn’t read the ingredients when I processed the pictures, which was a shame because I would like to have tried some home baking when I finally settle down.

I did some self surgery on my heel to relieve the blister and used Uncle Ben’s Bee’s Wax ointment as the salve (contains Zinc). Problem was there were two blisters, one on top of the other and things got a little confusing. I hope the blister doesn’t; infect and trigger off my cellulitis. My poison ivy rash finally subsided this week – almost one month since I picked it up at Devil’s Tower. Other than these two minor irritations I feel very healthy.

Supper at the Saloon next to the grocery store – owned and operated by Heather, I believe related to the store owners.
The saloon was built about 1900. Very small log building (historic site). It survived a fire in the valley in the late 1980’s that destroyed a dozen or so historic buildings. Anna Hoffman was out waitress, the only waitress and she provided superb, highly energetic good service, which included a quick chat showing a genuine interest in her customers. The place was packed (about 20 people) with locals and a few tourists. The menu was a choice of 3 pizzas. Best I have ever tasted. I have a Moose Drool which is a Porter, for libation. The place was cozy, comfortable and will be a special memory. Dick and I sat with Cynda and Richard whom we had met earlier in the day. Cynda teaches rafting on the Glacier rivers. Richard, we were surprised to discover was her father (very young looking) He owns a construction operation in Colorado. I tool pictures of the group and promised to send them on.

We slept in our respective vehicles at the Forks of the Flathead River. It rained hard through the night and temperatures dropped to about 40F.

Thursday: Sept 29

Destination Browns Pass, a 28 mile round day trip if we were lucky. Up at 6.30AM Dick served hot home brewed coffee and porridge to me through my driver’s window. We were off shortly after 7. It was critical to be on the trail shortly after sunrise so that we would be back before dark if at all possible. The hike was marked at about 28 miles with a difficult final accent. Total elevation change about 3000 feet. However, one other factor the weather. It had started to rain and this could turn into snow at the elevation we were going to just below 7000 feet. Regardless we set of. We followed a relatively level trail along Bowman Lake for seven miles through a very leafy and some times dense trail. Then it the trial began to slope. Again walls of forest on either side but then at about the 11 mark the forest opened into a huge canyon amphitheatre with the cliffs rising thousands of feet. Ribbon like waterfalls cascaded from cliff tops fed by glacial lakes. Great expanses of green meadows spread out at the lower slopes and shale rock created skirts at the base of the cliffs. We looked for goats or bears but saw none. What we did see coming from the valley below, drifting upwards assisted by strong winds were dense rain clouds which soon were dumping sheets of water on us. We still had a few miles of the steep train to finish. Dick pointed out numerous previous avalanche falls that had stripped away section of rock and trees of their path. The climb up was goat path, enhanced by Forest Service employees. The grade was called horse grade which was no steeper than 12%. However, the wind and the rain compounded by sweating from the climb made it an uncomfortable climb. I didn’t have all weather gear so I had brought a golfing umbrella which apart from turning inside out every few minutes protected me from getting drenched.
We found a primitive campsite (bare necessities). Just a note on the campsite. The sleeping areas were set up hundreds of feet from the food preparation areas. The food prep. area was just off the trail.
The idea is that bears wood travel the trail just as humans do and come across the food preparation area first – not the sleeping campers. Now there is not supposed to be any hint of food anywhere and one can be fined if there is.

At the campsite we changed into dry clothes. For those experienced in back country hiking this may be ‘old hat’ however, for me discovering what to wear under these conditions was a great learning experience.
On the good side I had a water and wind proof jacket made by Misty Mountain. Under that I wore a 100% polyester track suit jacket and a 100% polyester long sleeved shirt. A wool toque and the hood jacket kept my head dry. All this top end gear worked very well to keep me snug and warm and dispelled moisture from sweating.

On the bad side I had a nylon tracksuit pant which was not water proof and cotton long pants. Soaking wet legs. And I had finally worn out my running shoes and a blister was developing on my right ankle. No good considering we had to walk 7 miles down the mountain on a path which was now a quagmire of mud and rock. Minor detail.

We had a great lunch. The food tasted amazingly good even though it was mostly peanut butter and jam, cheese, celery and avocado. Dick and I traded his home made trail mix and my apricots. We finished lunch and hiked the remainder of the 0.7 mile until we reached our destination which was the Browns Pass that crosses the Continental Divide. Took pictures of me trying to tame the umbrella. The spectacular views of glaciers that the brochure promised were obscured by clouds, but the sights on the way back down more than made up for this.

When we went back into the canyon from the pass the waterfalls were carrying far more water and the winds were causing enormous bursts of spray. Quite spectacular considering the falls were 1000 or more feet. Now the noise of the rivers had risen considerably and resulted in an unexpected sighting of a bear right on our path. The best way of avoiding confrontation with bears is to make noise while walking. They are usually shy and avoid humans. However, streams make a lot of noise and block the sound us approaching. The bear was medium size (200 pounds) and black. We were about 30 feet away when we saw it on out path. It stood up on its hind legs and sniffed. Dick had begun to raise his arms slowly and spread them out, which makes a human look bigger. There is a different technique for dealing with Grizzly hears. The bear responded by turning and loping back down the path away from us. We followed it’s footprints for a couple of hundred yards before they veered into the bush. We had seen claw marks on some of the trees where the bears had been looking for insects and grubs in rotten wood so we weren’t surprised to have met a bear. It made our day even though there hadn’t been time to take a picture.

We finished the last half hour of the hike in the dark. Dick’s LED headlight worked very well. Next item on my shopping list. My small flashlight was adequate until batteries began to get run down. Back to camp; an overall 12 hour hike. We drove to another camping spot by a meadow a few miles away. This place didn’t cost us a fee and if the weather was good we could start the day with a quick hike. Rain overnight changed the plan. A quick supper of baked beans and sardines and a chunk of bread and my day ended with a good feeling of comfortable exhaustion.

Wed. Sept 28, 05

Decided to do the Numa Peak trail about 6 miles, increase in elevation of 3000 feet. Rated as difficult. I was told by them Ranger snot to hike alone and so when a man pulled up to my car in the parking lot, and he looked very fit, about my age and I asked if he was interested in Numa. He said that’s what he was doing so made introductions and set of. He was indeed experienced. All the right equipment. I led the way and set a good pace and he obviously appreciated the speed we were moving at. We chatted about everything under the sun. He hikes about a 1000 miles in a six month time frame and then works the rest. He was in the military and trained pilots on survival techniques, including bush survival. So within the day I learned a tremendous amount about plants and wildlife, clothing and backcountry hiking. On the track we made lots of noise talking and banging sticks together and making whooping noises so that we would scare the bears away before we reached a spot. It was important to do this especially coming through the thick forest areas and on blinds spots in the path. We arrived at Numa Peak in two and a half hours and reveled in the beauty and the views. Small glacial lakes shone in the mountainsides. Snow covered peaks of granite soared above us. Mount Carter above Bowman Lake was awe inspiring. 3 young and obviously very fit young ladies reached the fire tower at which Dick and I were having lunch. We invited them to join us but they were rangers on a mission and we watched them go round the edge of the mountain as specks in the distance. Their voices carried for enormous distances.
The hike back to camp was uneventful other than stopping to gaze at glaciers and other awe inspiring views.
We got back to camp early – lots of sunlight left and cooked a campfire supper and thoroughly prepared our backs packs for the next days hike. Early to bed, 9PM.

Tues. Sept. 27, 05

Spent quite a b it of time talking Lorie King, Ranger assistant in Glacier Mountain Park. She lives nearby and has traveled through these mountains extensively. She and her husband sound like survivors. They grow their own vegetables and fruit.

Stopped at Goat Lick on Hiway #2. With the railway lines carrying freight trains across a gorge, above a mountain stream, beautiful white fluffy furry goats climbs the bluish grey rock embankment licking the rocks for minerals. An idyllic setting. I cooked breakfast in the parking lot. Tour buses vintage 1930’s from one of the many lodges stopped of with tourists. Many of the persons who came to this spot didn’t read the visitors sign indicating that the better viewing area was down a path about twenty yards to the right and therefore missed the goats.

Drove through beautiful canyons and river trails to West entrance of Glacier Park. Lake was being swept by heavy winds.

Drove to Polerbridge on the west side of the park the most uninhabited place in USA. Rugged scenery. The Flathead River runs close by. Shopped at the store. What an amazing place and food. Has been written up in the National Geographic. World class baked goods on display in a hundred year old store full of dusty displayed mountain artifacts, animal pelts, logging implements, antique snowshoes and so on. A continuous stream of blues and assorted well chosen music comes form a CD player in the back area of the store and various people serve at the counter and bustle around.

Met Zak. Graphic artist from Minnesota. He’s hiking alone. Not good. May never see him again.
Camped, paid the park fee of $6 for the night to save being woken up during the night by a lone/ly Ranger.

Monday, Sept. 26, 2005

Oh the joys; a trout stream, sandstone cliffs, fragrances of fall flowers and a hot sunny day. I set of on the road right away and decided to treat myself to a munch in Great Falls later in the morning. The early morning sunshine on the golden grain fields was Van Goghish. I must mention these grain fields. There are no fences; the fields follow the undulating hills as far as the eye can see for literally hundreds of miles. Periodically a few farm building nestled in sheltered valleys attest to farmers who care for the fields. It is quite astounding to see the magnitude of these operations.

Great Falls welcomed me with an avenue of car dealerships with thousands of trucks on display. When you consider the vastness, ruggedness and methods of making a living off this country you realize why trucks are the vehicle of necessity. The fast food restaurant ally was next and then a surprise. The downtown area was very modern and pleasant to walk around. I had a coffee and fabulous muffin in a café on main street. The waitress guaranteed that their coffee was the best and indeed it was. I asked if they could deliver it intravenously and another waitress came over, rolled up her sleeve and showed me a relatively fresh needle hole in her arm. “That’s how I take it all day long” she said. I chose the conventional method of absorption.

Then a visit to the Charles Russell Museum. It was named after a famous artist and cowboy. The museum is a top notch exhibit housed in a well designed modern building. The sculptures and paintings are primarily of cowboys and Indians. The artist captured the essence of Indian and cowboy life in hundreds of paintings which had been collected or donated. I took permitted photographs of some of my favourites. I also visited the log cabin adjacent to the building in which Russell worked and entertained. Well worth a visit.

Continued my drive north of #89 through Choteau and Dupuyer. The French names are because refugees of the Riel Revolution moved here. I picnicked at a rest stop and admired the setting sun on the mountain ranges a few miles west. I would be sleeping in the Rockies tonight. Entered Glacier National Park at the east entrance. It was dark so I found a logging road a few miles into the park drove in another couple of miles into dense woods and set up camp for the night-that is I slept in the car. This is serious Grizzly Bear country. All open food in the car was tightly wrapped in plastic bags and place in the car. My night clothes are kept so that they don’t pick up food odors when I am cooking.
I slept soundly under a starlit sky.

Sunday. Sept. 25,05

I slept Sat. night at a highway rest stop and tried my new sleeping bag. The night temperature dropped to 35F. and my bag is rated at -15F. I almost died of heat prostration. The bag is more bulky that my previous one and wrestling it out of its compression bag was a bit of work. Then getting it into the right position used more effort. Then when I zipped it up with me inside it was an oven. I left the zipper open all night.

I followed a Lewes and Clark Trail north on Hiway 89. Gold and silver mining areas and magnificent farm land. Then stopped of at a motel in White Sulphur Spring to which the public swimming pool is attached. $4.50 for as long as wish in the sulphur spring fed pool. Deliciously warm. Chatted with a few locals and regular visitors who came for a tonic. The water is chemically identical to Baden Baden in Germany. However, the owner of this spring doesn’t want crowds so one economy motel and a couple more motels up the street in a very small community. I lounged in the 100F water for an hour and a half. And came out thoroughly refreshed and relaxed. Little did I know what was in store for me later on. Hiked the memorial waterfall trail – short and pretty. The area has a lot of Neihart Quartz which is one of the hardest rocks in the Rockies. The rocks sparkled in the sunlight. The surrounding woods were dense Lodge Pole Pine. Behind was Big Baldy mountain at 9,000 ft. plus. I wondered if it was possible to climb it. I learned from a store owner in the hamlet of Neihart that one could . HE had a vision up there that god wanted him to build a sanctuary on Big Baldy and a large administration centre in Neihart. He had aerial photographs of the whole region and identified landmarks that looked like heart shapes which had some significance – oh, I remember the love of god. This is where the second coming of Christ is going to take place once Ed gets it ready. ED noticed that Jerusalem contains the letters USA and when he looked at a map of Israel notice that there was a town of Mizrah. It has a namesake just down the street from Neihart, USA. The dots began to connect in Ed’s mind.

I received a very professional pamphlet and DVD disc on the subject. Spread the word is the message. It’s called the Son of Man Project. That’s also the name of the convenience store. Remind me to check the name of stores before I go in for my lima beans. Ed Ellerman is the cofounder of the project. He can be reached at www.srnow.net/sonofmanproject.com.wrk/ or by Email:eeesompj@3rivers.net. Please ask President Bush to donate Big Baldy to the Son of Man Project: write to President of the United States, White House, Washington DC., 2051 or Email: www.whitehouse.gov. What the heck. If a man has a mission and needs a mountain it’s not too much to ask.

Decide to hike part of the Sluice Boxes Wilderness Park. It follows an old railway track now removed though a pretty canyon for a number of miles. Well I somehow lost the railway bed and had to cross the fast flowing river in bare feet; it was only about thirty feet across but I almost died with the cold. Pain started half way across. The rocks were slippery so I couldn’t rush. No more nice and warm and relaxed. I walked down the valley a little more, eating wild Choke Cherries. Then it started getting dark so I jogged back a bit looking for a crossing. Found some big boulders that would making crossing back easier. The trouble was the water was deeper around the boulders. It was harder to see now and I had to take a chance on how deep the water was, and shortening my time with my feet in the water, versus depth hazard. I lowered myself of a big rock. Waist deep at least. Back to shallow water and another thirty feet of numbing cold. Came across an abandoned lodge and outbuildings on the way back that had been trashed by campers or squatters had lived there. Lovely setting nested in the ravine and now a monument to senselessness.

A hot supper on the camp stove soon warmed me up. Hard to believe that Lewes and Clark probably ate a meal in the very same spot. Taking a chance that a Ranger would wake me up in the middle of the night - it was not a camping area, I crawled into sleeping bag and gazed up at a perfect night sky. Clean air, no city lights. Idyllic.

Sept 22, 05 contin. Rawlins, jobs, wildlife, Casper, Billings Montana, Custer's Last Stand, Indian country

2005-09-25T11:13:00.000-07:00

Saturday. Sept. 24, 05. Morning off. Writing, posting invoices and thinking about Alberta vs. interviews with oil companies in Wyoming. Tried to send this missive from a restaurant in a Wal Mart store. I checked the wireless connection and got 21 of them. Only one disabled, didn’t work. I wonder what Wal Mart uses all these connections for. RFID ?

Set off for Montana on the old Lewis and Clarke expedition route through Sweetgrass country and home to numerous different Indian tribes, even today; Blackfeet, Crow, Flathead, Assiniboine, Gros Ventre, Sioux, Cheyenne, Salish, Kottenai, Chippewa and Cree.
Crossed the Little Big horn River and visited the Memorial to the Battle of the Little Bighorn - Custer's Last Stand. A lot of research has been done in the area and grave markers are placed where specific Union soldier and Indians artifacts were found. It’s rather depressing to look at the beautiful undulating grass lands, where nothing except the monument and visitors lodge stands, and think of what the reason was for all the fighting? The area is basically grazing land for cattle. My rough quote of what I read in the visitors centre, by the then President Grant, was ‘That we teach the Indians to be Christians and instruct them inthe ways of peace.’ Sort of reminds me of another more recent President and his ways of instructing natives in other countries.

Friday Sept 23, 05

Breakfast at the Hungry Cowboy, a cavernous restaurant packed with seniors – good sign of value, although I thought the home fries were a bit on the skimpy side for me let alone a hungry cowboy. As is typical in these parts the walls were decorated in trophy heads of various wild animals including Bob Cats, Badgers, Pronghorn Antelopes, Elk and Deer. I was the only person who paid attention to these ‘appetizers.’

A walk down Rawlins Main Street, Cedar Avenue. Quite a few circa 1900’s buildings. Got a good old fashioned haircut for $11 + tip. The chat with ‘Bob’ (I think), the owner, affirmed that times had changed and good old fashioned work ethics had disappeared among many of the young folk. His father had come to the area from Lancashire as a coal miner. Hard times. I told him how I observe the attention of a retail store cashiers when I shop. Many cashiers are busy chatting with other employees when they scan a purchase. They may stop chatting and greet you, or they may not. I rate them on the amount of attention they give me the customer. It may range from a greeting, an enquiry as to how I am or whether I found everything I was looking for or some general questions in response to my obvious non American accent. This type of engagement will get the cashier a 50% plus engagement rating. However, I have had one cashier who got a zero score. She was talking to another employee at the next register, didn’t look at me or say anything as she scanned in my purchases. She relied on the cash register screen to ‘advise’ me how much my total was and because paying with a credit card is a quick electronic process, she remained unengaged. I walked out of the store with my purchases and she was still talking to the other employee. Zero score. I told Bob that if I was arrested outside the store and brought back to that cashier for identification, or placed in a police line up, she would swear she had never seen me before in her life.
However, I must add that this was a rarity especially in these parts. Most cashiers are down right friendly and attentive.

Then a visit to the local museum which houses the former Wyoming State Penitentiary. It was $5 for a trip through the ‘Pen’ which I declined as there seemed to be a mass of material on the inmates in the general section, including information of Butch Cassidy’s adventures in the immediate area.

I went shopping for a below zero sleeping bag and chatted with Eric who advised to buy an army issue bag. Price for a -20F was $129. I declined to make the purchase in this store. Eric told me there was a lot of work available in the area and that was because of the drug problem. I had noticed noticed billboards targeted at “Meth’ users. Apparently in recent hiring effort only 4 persons out of a 100 applicants passed the mandatory drug test for zero drug use.

I headed to the local employment agency and spoke to the manager, Margaret, who was very helpful in providing me information on jobs I might be qualified for. Margaret arranged for me speak to Colleen on the phone in another office who advised me of the detailed procedures to get a work visa. First you have to find an employer who is willing to do the immigration paperwork. The process takes about three months, costs the employer about a thousand dollars in fees. Prospective employer must posts ads. for the position and submit
Proof to immigration that there is no USA citizen qualified for the job.
A local oil company was looking for a full time employee as an Assistant Manager. I might check with them how long a minimum contract they would be willing to arrange and if they would offer me a contract. The company which didn’t post its name is headquarted on a lone stretch of Hiway 80.

While I mulled over whether I wanted to work in this area I headed north to Casper. Again incredible vistas, highlighted by brilliant sunshine on one side the huge valleys and lightning storms on the other. I passed lush meadows with the biggest hay harvests I have ever seen and desert regions with sand dunes and round rock formation as big Aires rock in Australia. This route is a migratory bird route for north to south and lakes with alkaline edges were designed as safe and breeding grounds for a host of birds. This area was also part of the 4 main routes that early settlers traversed the Midwest and there were many historic signposts that mentioned the various trail and geographic feature and how the settlers related to them.

I stopped at Grandmas Café for a hot tea and chatted with the owner whose name I regret I can’t recall. I think it was Olive. The restaurant was the only building standing in sight in this vast sea of nothingness. I mentioned a sign that I had seen on the Hiway that there was a town of 6, 7000 people around here. She said that was the altitude of the place. I must get some new glasses (my thought not hers). The population sign, before it was torn down, said 3. It cost too much to maintain it so down it came. Olive was one of the three. Her husband and son were the other two inhabitants. 25 years of good service, good food and a love of big spaces kept her business going. Hubby is a consultant in the oil fields. Formerly retired but the oil boom took him back into the trenches.

Devil’s Canyon was notable sight with the Sweetwater River running through a 1500 foot long rift carved deep through the mountains. The Mormon settlers brought their hand wagons through this rift. Also the Pony Express riders found this route useful as it provided water, feed for the horses and a relatively unimpeded route. Note the Pony Express only lasted just over a year as the railways were not far behind and rail replaced the riders. Mid 1800’s.

Bought a minus 15F sleeping bag at an enormous hunting store in Casper, a town of 50,000 plus people (no definitely no the altitude). $69, felt lined. Can’t wait to give a try. Let it snow, let it snow let it snow. Kidding. All the Hiways have barriers preventing access outside of towns because of the snow drifts.
Also the vast wide open spaces and high winds create severe driving hazards.
Did I mention that the speed limits on must large Hiways in Wyoming is 75MPH, an indication of the vast distances.

I donated my previous sleeping bag which has served me well for the past 30 years and is still in great shape, to the local Salvation Army.

Thurs.continued. Sept 22, 05

Left Rock City with a bit of regret because I didn’t visit the fine Arts Centre and it was now dark and I don’t like to drive on these Interstates at night because of the bloodbath of animals being hit. I have to concentrate on looking for eyes reflected from the headlights – they show as tiny red pinpricks. If the animals are facing the wrong way then one is out of luck. It’s a pity someone doesn’t take the initiative of writing a proposal to the Hiway authority and getting a grant to implant all the animals with a glass eye in the you know where. It would reduce the a lot of front end vs. rear end collisions.
When red pinpricks are seen one immediately slams on the brakes and expects the eyes to go anywhere and everywhere and they do, or, they don’t, and you have to zig or zag around them. One wonders why they don’t fence the highways but it has do with the natural travel paths of the animals re: food, water and shelter that building the highway has disrupted.

And while I was thinking about animals what runs right across the road in front of the car, a Bobcat? Yep. He/she knew the risks, and was moving with a little urgency but I had time to admire it. Rather see it on the road than clutching to my back pack on a hike, getting a free ride.

I pull into Rawlins and almost fall asleep at the wheel so a motel with a $28 single sign beckons invitingly. The motel was in good shape and my room was adequate and pleasant and even had a phone.

Fri Sept. 16- Thurs. Sept. 22, 05 Logan Canyon, Providence Canyon, Randolph, Flaming Gorge, Green River Basin and Rock Spings.

2005-09-22T17:20:00.000-07:00

Friday Sept. 16, 05 to Thurs – Sept. 22, 2005

Thurs. Sept. 22, 05

In the morning I check my map and found that I was across the road from mountain lion country. I did see an antelope silhouetted against the skyline, so obviously no lions present in the morning.

I drove onto Firehole Gorge and enjoyed a leisurely, cooked breakfast by the water. Eagles flew overhead, mergansers dove under the water. It was an idyllic setting with huge sandstone buttes rising from the water and numerous wondrous wind carved monuments on the skyline and nearby. Weather again was blue skies and hot. I decided to drive through the back canyons and spent three hours following dusty dirt roads past abandoned ranches, streams cutting up to 50 feet into the sandstone, gorgeous deserts and lush meadows and the never ending rise of buttes and hills for as far as the eye could see. I passed only one vehicle during all this time and had a great sense of what it must have been like to homestead in the early days. I came across the grave of a Government surveyor who had been buried in a very picturesque valley. Took pictures if numerous antelope running wild. There were also wild horses.
Great day. Headed for Rock Spring, a coal mining community since the late 1880’s; many immigrants from Eliis Island came this part of the world. I visited the local museum and discovered over 56 nationalities settled in the area. The entire town of about 18, 000 people is undermined with tunnels for miles.

This Blog is being in the local library – has wireless. A 50’s style brick and glass building with lots of natural light.

Wed. Sept. 22, 05

AT the town of Bridger a famous crossroads of all the four major migration routes stopping point for traders when the west was being opened up, I met Bob and Jean Heart who had visited Czechoslovakia o celebrate the liberation during WW2. They discussed their experience at the celebration and how warmly the Americans were received. Lesson, not everyone dislikes Americans. The family’s members who were liberated at the end of the second world war are indebted and appreciative of the sacrifices made.

The route to Flaming Gorge, south of Hiway 80 was like being on the moon. Their were miles of green rock formations, mostly rounded and relatively smooth. Very eerie. As I proceed south the Uinta Mountains rose up. Covered in a variety of fir tree the large yellow splotches of yellow from Aspen on the fall colour turn. This mountain range is unique because it is the only one that runs west to east unlike all the other ranges running north/south. On through beautiful forest.

I reached Flaming Gorge which is a spectacle. The setting is a canyon flooded by a dam. It is part of the Green River system and at this point the drop from the top to bottom is about 800 feet. There were antelopes everywhere and had I waited for dusk I may have seen black bear and moose.

I chatted for a long while with Michael, Terry and Liam Fealy from California.
Michael is a Doctor on assignment in Rock Springs. Terry is a freelance artist. We talked bout health and fitness and Terry shared this method she has of getting rid of headaches. She clips a clothes peg on the fold of the skin between the thumb and first finger. After about twenty minutes the headache disappears. Guaranteed or your money back. (My words). Terry and Michael have traveled extensively including camping for 6 months in Australia and visiting Kent, England, next door to where I come from –Sussex.
I suggested Camille Claudelle as a video to rent for Terry. Great meeting them.

From the Gorge I drove north, viewed the 455 five foot high dam and then headed up the east side of Green River basin. Again, the vastness of the area was mind and eye boggling. Lush and desert valleys. As the car climbed up a mountainside hiway it started to pour rain and I entered clouds. Not being able to see and being on the edge of a precipice with Rock slide warning everywhere I pulled onto a small trail heading up further into the mountains. I parked the car and with flashlight walked about fifty yards to make sure the rocky pathway navigable and then proceeded to drive up it. I pulled to the edge as much as the Sagebrush would allow and settled in for the night. The clouds moved on and a starry night emerged. I was on a bit of a slope and during the night had dreams about the car rolling down the hill across the hiway and crashing into the canyon below. I awoke once with a pack of Coyotes howling nearby.

Tues. Sept. 20, 05

On waking I bathed in the stream (very quickly), and then dried in the hot sun.
Weather; cloudles skies, 80 degree temp. and no wind.
There were water Ouzels also known as Dippers darting into the water and emerging with small insects in their mouths. The hike on the trail was exhilarating.
complete with a sensory overload. Fragrances from the mountains plants where intoxicating and early fall colors mesmerizing. I walked to the site the Temple Fork Saw Mill (now defunct) from which the lumber to build the Mormon Temple and Tabernacle in Logan was taken. . It became a social centre for friends and relatives of the loggers. It took about a day to walk from Logan up the canyon and into this ravine.
I cam across a wasp nest and thousand of wasps were out in the sunshine and drinking at the edges of some soggy grassland by the stream. They drank and then flew upwards into the rays of the sun coming through the tress. Golden colored butterflies were also present and the whole assembly and ritual looked as though it were choreographed. A rare and unexpected moment.

I followed a side path higher up the mountain into a dry gulch, lots of vegetation and dense with fir trees and silver birch but no water. I found an entire set of bones of a dead cow which had probably got ill or dehydrated. I had hoped to get the grave of the last Grizzly Bear killed in this area, Ephraim, but I ran out of time and had to settle for the cow. I snacked on wild berries including something that looked like a mini choke cherries, Elderberries (I think) and rosehips, and a Blackcurrant on a tree. Overall walk about three hour. Superb. At the picnic ground I met a charming gentlemen out with his dog for a walk. He was retired Professor of Ecology from University of Utah which is situated in Logan. He gave the history of changes he had observed in this part of Logan Canyon in the past forty years and I learned considerably in a short time about the fish, vegetation and wildlife in the area.

I headed back to Randolph and enjoyed a tasty evening meal with the family.

Monday. Sept. 19, 05.

Drove to Bear Lake and then onto Randolph to visit the Hoffmans. Heidi has opened a preschool centre into one of the small farmhouses. I promised to visit class next day.

Headed into Logan Canyon on the main hiway and then pulled onto a trail to sleep in Temple Fork's ravine about 1 mile off the road. Nice secluded spot in the fold of three big hills. It was a picnic area but no other cars were present at midnight. Slept at the edge of a mountain stream.

Sunday Sept. 18, 05

Cycled into Providence Canyon. Rugged and spectacular. After an hour I had to walk and continued up dried up river beds with towering rock formations, dense woods and waterfalls cascading down the cliffs. Past giant natural gravels pits up into the higher range which were covered in bushes with a variety of fall fruits. This made me nervous because it meant Bears would be around. However, the only scare I got was from a lone cow that was pasturing at a high altitude. It is not uncommon to see cows anywhere on these mountains as they free range. At this time of year the herds are beginning to be rounded up by real cowboys wearing full regalia including, chaps, spurs and western gear. It makes for quite a spectacle when you see them up close on their horses.

I didn’t quite make it to the top of the canyon but based on tire track I saw all the way four wheeled vehicles were ale to navigate the rough terrain and including big rocks and make over into the next valley. Because I had been pushing the bike I stopped at the two hour mark and headed back down in semi darkness. I a few cars passed me further down they had been exploring the many side shoots of the canyon. Some people were shooting guns off and I decided I would not sleep in this canyon tonite.

Fri and Sat. Sept 16, 17, 05 were spent writing my book and reading Bill Clinton biography and Billie Lett’s novel, Where the Heart is – the story of the girl who lived in a Wal Mart while pregnant.

For fresh air I climbed a foothill of the Logan Valley Mountains, including a large sandstone bluff in which swallows had nested. A nerve wracking descent off the bluff ended up with me in a Russian Olive tree and scratched all over by the rapid descent. Most enjoyable adventure and some good pictures.

Mon. Sept 12-Thurs. Sept 15, 05. More Dubois, Togwatee Pass, Teton Climbs-Cascade Canyon and Paintbrush, Salt River and Logan Canyon.

2005-09-16T18:23:00.000-07:00

Thursday, Sept 15, 2005. Started the day with some good ‘home cooking’ at a small restaurant. I had the special which was biscuits and gravy, an egg and a strip of bacon for $4.95. These biscuits are similar to giant English tea biscuits but with a more floury texture and taste. They came smothered in a thick white gravy which tasted of pepper and other spices. Quite a meal but I think I prefer home fries with my eggs. Came across a Rest Stop that was solar powered, built with earth around the sides and heat absorbing bricks each about 18 inches long. Very energy efficient. The water from the sinks was hot and gave me opportunity for a good shave. Viva la solar. Very progressive. Drove through great farmland with independent farms even spaced along the highways. Each farm seemed to be self supporting with good irrigation, healthy looking crops, cattle in the fields and well maintained farm building and modern houses. I could imagine how pleased the settlers must have been with populating this long valley – and the Salt River for recreation to boot. Water for irrigation came from the small mountains that rose up fro each side of the valley. Next stop was Bear Lake which is an incredible hue of blue. I stopped enjoyed a raspberry milkshake made with real local raspberries. If you think this a hardly noteworthy might I remind you of the myriad of chemical that are used to simulate fruit flavors in fast food restaurants. Up a long steep climb and then into Logan Valley, one of the most picturesque canyon drives I’ve seen. This valley part of the Cache system also boasts a number of wild flowers that only grown in this immediate area. I shall be hiking the valley and try and photograph a few species.

Wed, Sept 14, 2005. Good cooked breakfast and drove back to Jenny Lake. Target, Cascade Canyon, Surprise Lake, Paintbrush Divide and Paintbrush Canyon – a circuit through the Tetons. An ambitious hike, especially considering that I was off to a late start. By the time I had spoken to the Ranger’s about the conditions on the trail – up to 8 inches of snow at the peak, and taken the ferry boat ($7.50 return ticket) to the start of the trail it was 10.30AM. The Ranger had advised only doing the Cascade Canyon part of the trail, a 14 mile round trip and that would get me back by dark. Once past Hidden Falls a mile in and feeling good I decided to go for the whole 21 miles circuit including Paintbrush Pass and Paintbrush Canyon. Recommended time 10 -12 hours. I got a good rhythm going, stopped to chat briefly a few times, pulled out the binoculars and studied the rock formations, caves, flora and the odd marmot. One hiker and I exchanged book titles –he recommended, ‘The Ship That Never Was.’ I recommended the ‘Down Under’ book written by a female Doctor who had been taken on a walkabout in the Australian outback by the aborigines. Both books were about survival with limited resources. Something like my overall trip. Long steady easy climb up the canyon with picturesque views, waterfalls and the stream. Then a steeper climb to Surprise Lake. And then the whopper. Like climbing the Himalayas. Long steep footpaths hacked out of the edge of the mountain. Go about a quarter of a mile and then an abrupt turn and trudge another quarter at a slightly higher elevation. Zig and Zag all the way to 10,700 feet. Again the views were brilliant-the Tetons at end of a valley, bathed in sunlight, sprinkled with snow and brushed by clouds drifting by in a bright blue sky. Looking down, slopes that dropped almost vertically comprised of ancient rockslides. A lack of oxygen made breathing a deliberate conscious process. Deep in, hold exhale slowly repeat every two or three steps. Everest and 20,000 feet come to mind. Self talk. Stop complaining. A walk along the Paintbrush Divide revealed a scooped out crater full of snow. It was hard to find the descent path into Paintbrush Canyon. Beneath a foot of snow were crushed rocks but no discernable path. I stepped into the fresh cast footprints and followed. Periodically the print gave way to an obvious slip of foot and body and one wondered how the first people through that day had managed not to slide all the way down the mountain. Then I realized why everyone I saw was using climbing sticks with steel spikes on the end. What a time to learn about equipment needs. The rocks under foot were small, flat and about the size of saucers. They barely provided a footing, moving if one place weight at the wrong angle. Again long trail, abrupt turn and then descend at a lower elevation. One slip and one would be seriously hurt even though the drop was only a few hundred feet. I caught up with Karen and Jim on the way down. Jim had lent his ice pick to an older gentleman who was a preacher from the UK, to help him get to the top of the mountain. Jim had followed and come back down again. The preacher was with three young men and they were trying to do the 21 mile hike but were definitely going to do a few miles in the dark and whatever moon there was. Also they had very little water or food. But they had their faith. Karen and Jim were a delight to talk to and I walked between them for a couple of hours. Another hiker advised us a moose was a little further down the slope although we didn’t see it perhaps because of the tall bushes. We discussed similar interest in nutrition and lifestyle. Karen uses a sourdough bread recipe passed on to her by her Grandmother and believes it and other food choices have contributed to her family’s health and fitness. J and K had been training for months for these mountains and were going on to Victoria in British Columbia and complete an island trek. Jim taught high school and brought students out to the Tetons. We said goodbyes at a junction. I then met Laurie, Jim and Rob who were finishing off their hike of the canyons but had gone in the opposite direction from Leigh Lake. They are from Oregon (Springfield? ) I had met Jim at the Signal Hill campsite in the morning and he had offered me a ride in the car back to my parking lot in the event that I missed the last ferry across Jenny Lake at 6 PM. I took their offer and saved myself an hour’s walk. Teton’s finished I headed south to Jackson Hole, a tourist trap with ski slopes that end up right smack in the middle of the town. It was bustling with traffic and foot tourists, restaurants and motels galore. I didn’t bother looking around. Then up into the Salt River canyon and camped overnight at the edge of the river. Many of the official campsites in this tourist area were already shut down for the season. So I thought myself fortunate to have found the river access for hunters and fisherman with no one in sight for miles.

Tues: Sept. 13, 2005 I was a little chilled from the overnight cold; the temperature had dropped to the lower 30’s as per the frost on the car. Thoroughly enjoyed a defrosting in the Ranger Village shower. $3.50 plus a $1 for a towel. While at the complex I ‘did’ a laundry wash and chatted with the lady at the next machine. Katelin had worked for a corporation from Chicago but now freelances as a trainer and consultant out of Austin Texas. We agreed to exchange some ideas in the future. Because of her professional interest in wellness I asked if she was familiar with the founder of the wellness concept, started in the 1950’s. Although I have quoted him many times in my seminars I couldn’t remember the Dr.’s name and decided I need to work on my personal recall systems. I decided on a moderate hike for the day and took the 3.1 mile trek to Surprise and Amphitheatre lakes. Very pleasant at the lower level of the mountains but an hour and a half of slugging was aggravated by fresh snow. Surprise Lake was small and pretty. A black bear had left fresh prints in the snow just minutes before I arrived. Two seasoned hiker told me it just ambled of when they arrived. I was hoping this 200 LB native would be going to the next Lake. Another 0.2 miles up and a lake surround on 3 sides by steep cliffs. This put me at 9,200 feet. I needed a challenge. I plodded up the boulders that were strewn around the lake perimeter. I headed for some trees that seemed to provide an access to half way up the amphitheatre wall. Good move, until I went through the trees and saw a drop of a thousand feet immediately in front of me. So that’s why the Rangers ended the trail down by the lake. I thought climbing to the top of the wall was feasible. Already the views down the little lake were wonderful. From the top they would be magnificent. T’was not to be. I had to hoist myself up onto a big round boulder to get any higher. And then spread-eagled on the boulder I realized I could not find a handhold higher up. I looked down. Fright. All I could see was the drop down the vertical wall. If I slid two feet left on the boulder I was airborne. I could not see where to put my feet if I lowered myself down. This was disconcerting. I got my breathing down to bout 180 and tried to visualize what I had done in the last two moves. I figured that there would be about a foot of horizontal rock to land on if I let myself go. To tight a margin if I lost my balance on landing. The key was to get me feet closer to the flat. I dug some dirt and flowers out of crevice. Forcing my hand into the crack enough to take some of my body weight I lowered myself until my arm was almost outstretched. My feet felt around the lower part of the rock for something that resembled a toe hold. My other arm hugged the broad circumference of the rock giving me not one iota of comfort. Still too far to drop and keep my balance on landing. Finally I got the toe of my running shoe jammed into a crevice and with this as the pivotal point of my body I eased my hand out the flowerbed and let myself slide lower and lower until with a 6 inch drop I landed back on the ledge. Never again, I thought to myself will put myself in such a precarious satiation. The walk down the slope to the lake although hazardous was a cake walk in comparison. I noticed an interesting tree on the way down. About two feet in diameter, dead, stripped of all bark and the trunk from top to bottom shaped like a corkscrew. The by product of glacial two enormous boulders gripping the wood on both sides and leaving and leaving their calling card. The base of the boulders must have prevented the tree from being uprooted. Very pleasant hike through the woods and down the slopes which were beginning to show fall colours. Saw a couple of young Mule deer feeding (they are the ones with big ears). Also got pictures of some very fat and unafraid grouse that refused to fly and preferred to hop out of my way. Got back to the parking lot just as it was getting dark. There had been at least twenty cars there in the early afternoon – a popular trail. Jenny Lake campground was already full at 7 PM and I had to drive north a few miles to the Signal Mountain camp site on Jackson Lake, which is a lot bigger and had space. Another $15 into the metal slot, a Bunsen burner supper (that’s what my Coleman reminds me of and out like a light at 10PM.

Monday Sept. 12, 2005.

My plan was to hike up a high peak north west of the Dubois area near the Togwotee Pass, and I am waiting for the weather to change. Very cloudy and cold, windy and raining. A 25 cent coffee at the local Esso gas station and convenience store – coffee ended up costing me $14.50 by the time I had purchased some home made candy (made in Utah) and distributed far and wide, and a $10 telephone discount card. Hot breakfast at the Cowboy Café in Dubois. Packed with patrons from the numerous local motels. Today Dubois is a launch pad for outdoor activities including fly fishing, hiking to the highest peaks in Wyoming and four wheeling which is a very popular activity. A visit to the local library was a pleasure. A modern building with a finished wood interior and western theme and accruements. And it had wireless internet. So a town of about a few hundred people in the middle of nowhere and very up to date technologically. The closest other libraries were Riverton and Jackson Hole. I visited the Bighorn Sheep interpretative centre and marveled at the number of different sheep there are in this area and around the world as evident by the numerous trophy heads on display. I asked the curator why I had not been able to see any species of sheep in thousands of miles of traveling and equipped with my new binoculars. She laughed. They are out there somewhere. I paid the $2 contribution for the exhibit and watched the video. The sheep weigh between 250 and 350 pounds and have distinctive ram like horns. At least I now know what I am looking for or avoiding depending on proximity.

Monday continued:

Explored Dubois a little further. Notable items, a public washroom and a small free municipal parking lot. The presence of public washroom was a feature that I had noted in a number of small towns and was an indicator that they were looking after there tourist trade. In other towns such Cook City which did not have public facilities there would be notices in every store that the washrooms were for customers only. One service station owner in Cook City told me that up to 900 people a day would use their facilities which were on a sceptic system. After burning out a few pumps they installed a his and hers Porta Potties for which you had to get the key.

Heading up out of Dubois, steadily driving up the mountain road to the Continental Divide. I had read in a brochure that one of the best views of the mountains in Wyoming could be seen from a peak overlooking the Jade Lakes. To access this area I drove onto gravel roads for 5 mile and reached Brooks Lake. A spoke to some fisherman and asked about the practicality of camping considering the grizzly bear warnings. Not in a million years, one said, this place is ‘boogery, real boogery. I wasn’t familiar with the term and didn’t ask for clarification – the tone of voice convinced me not to set up camp. These fellows were from Florida and were equipped with the most elaborate fishing outfits, winter clothing and head gear. My being in shorts and T shirts was quite a contrast, but I find this the best gear for hiking with extra clothing in the knapsack. This prevents sweating at lower levels and being wet as the weather gets colder higher up.

The scenic beauty of the area was being capitalized on by a large dude ranch; consisted of modern wooden lodge, guest cabins and corrals with about 30 horses. A small dirt road led past the ranch and a sign indicated caution was advised that this road was for limited use. A few minutes of driving up a steep incline with barley a foot each side of the vehicle took me up the side of a mountain. One side the cliffs rose almost vertically on the other a sheer drop of hundreds of feet into a valley below. Lovely drive other than before each bend in the road one had a distinct the feeling that there was no road. Oh, and did I mention that there had been a heavy snow storm in the past few hours and the steep incline of the road, the fresh snow and the lightness of my vehicle made this journey a heart stopper. And there was no turning back. One foot at a time I inched up for another mile or so. Mud slide and rocks narrowed the path even further and as the front wheels hit these spots the car was edged even close to the “drop” side which was now only a foot away from the edge of the car. I stopped a number of times and walked up the road to asses the possibility of not sliding of the mountain. Luckily the snow was only about three inches deep and there was a good gravel base rather than mud. Another mile and I was at a peak. Sure enough the views were fabulous as one would expect at 10,000. However, the Jade Lakes were hidden by cloud. The dirt track continued along the edge of the mountain into the clouds. I decided to call the trip a success based on not having slid down the mountain with or without the car.

Entered the Teton National Park by the East entrance and settled into a campsite. $15 for the night. Some of the campsites were already full by 7 PM depending on access to favorite hiking routes.

Sun.and Mond. morning: Big Horn area again, Ten Sleep, Wind River, Dubois

2005-09-12T11:14:00.000-07:00

Monday Sept. 12, 2005. My plan was to hike up the highest peak and I am waiting for the weather to change. Cold, windy and raining. A 25 cent coffee at the local Esso gas station and convenience store – coffee ended up costing me $14.50 by the time I had purchased some home made candy (made in Utah, and distributed far and wide) , and a $10 telephone discount card. Hot breakfast at the Cowboy Café in Dubois. Packed with patrons from the numerous local motels. Today Dubois is a launch pad for outdoor activities including fly fishing, hiking to the highest peaks in Wyoming and four wheeling which is a very popular activity. A visit to the local library was a pleasure. A modern building with a finished wood interior and western theme accruements. And it had wireless internet. So a town of about a few hundred people in the middle of nowhere and very up to date technologically. The closest other libraries were Riverton and Jackson Hole.

Sunday Sept. 11, 2005

Overnight in a nice $35 motel. A good night’s sleep after a few days of camping. I took a day to catch up with reading, writing and browsing. Then a loop through Greybull, the Bighorn River Basin, Ten Sleep, Thermopolis, The Wind River Canyon, Shoshoni, Riverton, and into the Wind River Reservation where I slept overnight at a Rest Stop. I have run out of superlatives to describe the scenery and wide open vistas of Wyoming. An outdoors person’s paradise will have to suffice. A geologists dream.

Notes: Ten Sleep was named by the Indians. It was a crossroads to many different locations and it took ten sleeps between it and any of the other destinations. An interesting time management concept. Passed Crow Heart Butte. A gory story behind its name. The heart of a Crow Warrior ended up on a lance and then in the tent of an opposing tribe chieftain. A dispute about who had the rights to the happy hunting grounds. The Bannock and Crow tribes fought to settle the issue. Score. Bannocks one. Crow’s zero, unless one considers the name of the Butte an equalizer. A grim reminder of the vagaries and foibles of man’s nature.

Fri and Sat. Sept.10, 2005 Gardiner, Madison, Mammoth,Geyser trail and inventory of camping and office supplies on board.

2005-09-11T15:09:00.000-07:00

Sat. Sept. 10, 2005

Woke up to rain and snow. This is the first time for months. Weather has been sunny since I left Ontario in mid July. Didn’t bring any winter clothing with me, although I do have a business suit and plenty of nice causal and a good Misty mountain windbreaker. Today is going to be Old Faithful so should be light on the scenic descriptions so I shall fill some space with what I have brought with me and managed to squeeze into this compact Saturn for those thinking of making a road trip or seeking fame and fortune away from home.

Sat. Sept. 10, 2005 continued: Went back to Madison and started with a visit to the Museum set up in the former Union Pacific railway station. It was noteworthy that Yellowstone catered to a lot of wealth tourists in its early years brought in by four different railway companies. The tourist bought a package that included train, hotel and excursion prices. Travel in the park after about 1910 was by motorized vehicle. By 1930 a fleet of 240 White cabs holding about 15 people each took tourists into the park from Madison. I took a tour of the town in one of these busses and it included stops at the Madison Hotel and an original circa 1900’s store. The Madison Hotel dating back to the 1890’s, is now a youth hostel. It is two stories high and made of logs including each of the bedrooms, so as you can imagine it has a nice cozy, compact and rustic feel to it. I spoke to a guest from who was cycling across the USA on a Trek road bike, carrying about 87 pounds of gear. Keep in mind it is snowing up in the mountains. John looked very fit and tanned. If you would like some tips on this type of experience Email: johntomaska@yahoo.com. I it took a picture of John and his bike in his bedroom and this will be included with his permission if the photo journal of this trip. My tour of Madison included a visit to the Dining Hall that catered to the well heeled tourists. It is now a National Landmark site. Designed by Underwood, it fits perfectly into its surroundings. Made of huge logs and supported by rock columns on the outside it is impressive. The timbered roof trusses visible on the inside are awesome. The fire hearth opening was about 40 foot high. Photographs of guests being wined and dined adorn the walls taking one back to an era of class and privilege.

Back into Yellowstone Park proper. I visited all the Geyser Basins and Thermal areas and marveled at the variety of active volcanic eruptions still going on: cone geysers, mud pots, fumaroles and hot pools. I had missed the opportunity to swim in one of two accessible and permitted place in the park. The first is near the North entrance on the 45 parallel. Apparently a warm spot at any time. The second place is on the Fire hole River. This river is fed by numerous thermal strings. The swimming hole was in a beautiful setting in a gorge, a small cave and a small whirlpool. Needless to say I was the only swimmer. I stripped down behind some rocks, set the camera on automatic timer and had ten seconds before the shutter clicked. No time to check water and conditions. The water was surprisingly cold! I stayed in about ten minutes swimming up against the current into the gorge opening and then letting the whirlpool effect carry me back to main river. Good workout. Fishermen were fly fishing downstream and I wondered whether about taking up more comforting pursuits.

And finally Old Faithful. The time of the next eruption predicted at 6.05 an hour away left me time to admire the rustic Hotel that sits beside it. This structure was multi storied but again in logs and stone. Next door was the even more magnificent Old Faithful Inn. Even though it is being restored certain sections were open for residence and dining. I marveled at staircases made entirely of stripped and polished tree trunks, and enormous wooden furniture. The open concept interior with its huge fireplace chimney adorned with an ancient clock made the lobby a grand place to walk through. The building is many stories high and the unfinished timber and hewn rock construction were awesome. Right on time Old Faithful erupted. 6.05 PM. Crowds of watchers sat on benches provided for the occasion. The plumes shot about 130 feet into the air, a little less than the record of 180. The whole event took about ten minutes. I was anxious to get going because I was going on a side excursion view the East Gate and the highway closes at 8 PM. A beautiful drive round Yellowstone Lake and through the Pass back to Cody. Just made it through the gates by 8 PM. Stunning scenery through the canyon, what else? I thought it a little less impressive that the Chief Joseph Scenic Byway.

Camping gear – to be honest I prefer motels, but of necessity and the need to experience the great outdoors:
2 person Coleman Pop up tent . Coleman blow up mattress and a hiking self inflatable mattress. Sleeping bag good for 30F (currently pushing the limits).
Coleman mini stove, two mini propane tanks. One enamel plate, cup and bowl, a knife fork and spoon and a can opener. A one liter hot water heater that plugs into the cigar lighter. Good for making tea, porridge and rice.
A Coleman portable fridge/cooler that plugs into the cigar lighter. Keeps food moderately cool about 50 degrees less than the ambient outside temperature. However, can only leave the Cooler plugged in for four hours before it runs that battery flat so I have to unplug it through the night. And because it is not permitted to leave any food unlocked at the campsite site because of bears I lose the advantage of the cooler weather. So, I have switched to powdered milk and buy smaller portions of vegetables and fruit.
A plastic box with a few canned foods and room to store stove etc.
A one gallon water jug and two one liter bottles which are filled at the campsite each day or at rest stops. Paper towel, dishcloths and dish soap and pot scrubber.
A big flashlight and two small ones. Lots of windproof Matches and Bic lighters.
A cosmetic bag with three of everything.

Electronics and office equip.

Two inverters to keep all the electronics fully charged while I am driving. I do have to keep changing the plugs as the inverter only has two 110Volt outlets.
Two laptops. One IBM Thinkpad T42 and sub notebook Apple 2400 C.
One wireless Pointer for the laptop for making PowerPoint presentations
A mini hard drive back up for the computer.
A Palm Pilot and a paper address/phone book – I still don’t trust electronics or hard drives.
My Dyna-form Day Planner which I use every day and supply of back up forms.
One tape recorder on which I listen to and then discard dozens of self development tapes accumulated over the past 20 years.
One HP 500 Printer, Scanner, Copier. One 3 mini draw filing cabinet full of office supplies.
2 briefcases full of current project files and legal files. One briefcase of software including burned CD copies of important files and 8 years of my diaries of around the 1960’s and a few treasured pictures. (Total 3 briefcases)
A Cardscan business card reader that lets me copy cards directly into the laptop.
One 110 volt rechargeable battery charger that plugs into the inverter. A pen scanner that lets me transfer to type into the computer. A Telephone headset, A T100 Ethernet adaptor and numerous adaptors for internet and other electrical outlets. A VOIP phone that plugs into the laptop USB port for making long distance calls.

Other.
A small back pack for hiking. A large back pack for laptop and general use. Inflater for mattress-cigar lighter
A tool kit for car repairs. Two instant inflatable tire repair cans.

A small library of current reading :
David Allen, The Art of Getting Things Done.
The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Statistics. Sunny Baker, Ph.D
Intellectual Captital, Thomas Stewart
Fast Food Nation, Eric Schlosser
Angela’s Ashes, Frank McCourt
The Power of Gold, Peter Bernstein.
Test your IQ. Alfred Munzert, Ph.D

End of inventory.

Friday Sept. 9, 2005

Asleep at ten, up at 7.30. Mountain air good nightcap and the L Tryptofan in the Buffalo Burger. Splendid views. Could see the caps of Mammoth Hot Springs in the distance. Breakfast: hot porridge, Bagels and two fried eggs – using Olive Oil to cook, and a steaming mug of hot tea and I am set for the day. Rinsed myself and the dishes in a stream running by the campsite, tidied up the car on I am on my way. It’s a good life if you don’t look at your credit card balances.
Had an enquiry by Email of a couple would like to rent the cottage for Thanksgiving (Canadian). Memories of years past, when the ‘movie group” used to gather at the cottage for Thanksgiving, (one of the few times of the year I didn’t rent it out) flood back. The pictures are still in the Community section of the web site. Debbie has invited the group to her place in Brockville this year, but some are going to Kate’s place in Milwaukee. So traditions get nudged aside or remorph. I have no idea where I will in five or six weeks, but that’s part of this mission to explore inner and outer hemispheres. Musing aside. Back to Yellowstone to try my new Bushnell 10x50 Falcon Binoculars. It felt somewhat extravagant and redundant to buy them. I hadn’t seen any serious animals yet and having binoculars is just going to bring nothing closer. Than had given me a superb pair to keep at the cottage and I regrettably left them there.

Friday continued. Went back into Gardiner. Sent this Blog using the computer in the Café/Bookstore. 15 cents a minute. Total cost, by the time I had checked two days of 137 Emails, $3. The Spam filter on my ISP seemed to have stretched, so I called Magma (a Primus company), my provider and they switched me to a Level Two. I wrote the Blog on my laptop and put it onto a floppy A disc and then transferred it to the café computer. Another $1. I have to read the Wireless feature help section of the laptop and try and get my settings stabilized. Met Matthew and Anna who are backpacking. We chatted abut the time management challenges of being a stockbroker (Matthew) and Anna’s home country, Spain. Nice couple. Visited the local library which shares the same small cabin as the Sheriff’s Office. An effort to reduce overdue books no doubt. I admired the design of the large stone block archway that is the northern entrance to Yellowstone. I didn’t take a picture, I am pictured out. After two days of Yellowstone the behaviour of the non native species is as follows. Study map book or guide book. Drive to location. Jump out of car and take a picture or two, or walk the few hundred steps to the location and do same. Walk the prescribed route, read the blurbs take a few more pictures and leave site and move onto next destination. It’s a circuit and driven by the need to not miss critical stops depending on one’s bent. Now I haven’t quite figured what is wrong with this modus operandi but it leaving me feeling cold. The not being permitted to leave the prescribed path makes sense because one could easily be burned by steam from the geysers or splashed by molten mud, or get lost or savaged, but nevertheless I had developed a sense of claustrophobia in this immense 100,00 square mile wilderness. Even when I hiked to the top of Mount Washburn every shortcut up the hill had official (steel) signs pinned to logs ‘saying stay on path’. Having had one run in with the Ranger the previous day I had no wish to learn what the consequence of disregarding directives would be. Thank goodness the animals aren’t trained to conform. Hooray an unscripted moment. I and hundreds, maybe thousands, got stuck in a Buffalo jam. A large herd of Bison were going to and fro from the road to the forest making it almost impossible to pass. The rangers closed the road at both end of the traffic jam and tried to regulate traffic but the Bison weren’t buffaloowed by the Rangers maneuvers. When the beasts finally go to open pasture miles from when they started the jam, traffic started to get by. I was in the front group of cars. I can’t imagine how long the line up behind me was but based on the business of the hiway at any time it was huge. So today the circuit was the Norris Geyser Basin, the Artist Paint Pot geysers, including the bubbling mud pots and the steaming Beryl Spring and a quick peak at the Gibbon Falls. Very nice. Didn’t take a picture. By early evening I decided to leave the park via the west gate, along the Madison River where fly fisherman were standing in waders and numerous Elk were feeding. I went to Madison, an upscale western style resort with dozens of motels and souvenir shops. My main purpose was to see the Imax movie paying at the Grizzly Centre. Title Yellowstone. At least I didn’t have to take pictures while I admired the history and magnificence of the park. Imagine 40 minutes of beauty and no cameras clicking. Well worth the $8, plus $2 small popcorn. Drove 2 miles to a National Park campsite; $13 for night, but no tents allowed. A grizzly had done damage three weeks ago and was still in the area. I promised to sleep in the car and they let me stay. The Camp Host who was whizzing around with a crony in a golf cart directed me to a site and within minutes came for the fee. They joked about all the wires laying on the dash and dangling in my car. I shall provide the reader with list tomorrow of what it takes to be a mobile warrior. However, tonight quick hot supper and there goes another day.

Yellowstone, Canyon and Mammoth Tues. to Fri morning. Gardinar

2005-09-09T10:36:00.000-07:00

Friday Sept. 9, 2005

Asleep at ten, up at 7.30. Mountain air good nightcap and the L Tryptofan in the Buffalo Burger. Splendid views. Could see the caps of Mammoth Hot Springs in the distance. Breakfast: hot porridge, Bagels and two fried eggs - using Olive Oil to cook, and a steaming mug of hot tea and I am set for the day. Rinsed myself and the dishes in a stream running by the campsite, tidied up the car on I am on my way. It’s a good life if you don’t look at your credit card balances.
Had an enquiry by Email of a couple would like to rent the cottage for Thanksgiving (Canadian). Memories of years past, when the ‘movie group" used to gather at the cottage for Thanksgiving, (one of the few times of the year I didn’t rent it out) flood back. The pictures are still in the Community section of the web site. Debbie has invited the group to her place in Brockville this year, but some are going to Kate’s place in Milwaukee. So traditions get nudged aside or remorph. I have no idea where I will in five or six weeks, but that’s part of this mission to explore inner and outer hemispheres. Musing aside. Back to Yellowstone to try my new Bushnell 10x50 Falcon Binoculars. It felt somewhat extravagant and redundant to buy them. I hadn’t seen any serious animals yet and having binoculars is just going to bring nothing closer. Than had given me a superb pair to keep at the cottage and I regrettably left them there.

Thurs. Sept. 8, 2005
Campers huddled around their Coleman’s, body language attesting to sleeping bags that might have had q lower temperature rating. Mine was borderline for the night temperature even with the extra insulation of the car. I sleep with the windows down a bit and trade of temp. for fresh air. A nice cup of tea and a bowl of steaming hot porridge and I am on my way to Mammoth Hot springs at the northern border of the park. Moose are promised at Blacktail Plateau but only when I’m not there. Drove the six mile trail and saw a crowd of cars with passengers and drivers scattered looking for something but it was only a Black Bear that had run off into the woods. I sat around for 20 minutes hoping he was thirsty and would come back to the stream but nothing. I noticed all the travelers seemed to on a mission. Find the animals-whether at high noon or in the darkness. If one car stopped to allow passengers to scan the horizons, the galleys, the trails other cars would stop. Getting into the traffic the single lane shipways probably causes more accidents than animal sighting. So an uneventful trip in Mammoth home of the hot spring and there opposite the Mammoth Hotel drinking from a puddle at the curb is a huge Elk with an enormous rack So the morale of the story is the animals know when a good things going.
I toured the hot springs. Incredible to think that these are a very direct link to a volcano just beneath the surface of the earth. I am not sure just how beneath but one wasn’t permitted to step of the wooden board walks. Colours of the algae growing the waters were from an artist’s palette. The light blue hues and moss like greens tinged with ochre made a memorable site. And all this is almost boiling but shallow moving water. A memorable place to visit. It didn’t have the grandeur of the Yellowstone Canyon but being so close to the water and rocks made it memorable.

I decided not to camp in Yellowstone tonight. I was a little tired of the over regulation at the campsites so I headed north out of the park to Gardiner. Found an internet café and bookshop from which to send pick up my Email - all the local wireless signals I picked up were password protected. Buffalo Burger, including fries and a very small salad (called Cole Slaw, but it wasn’t cabbage) was $8.50. However, note that all Burgers served in this part of the world start of at half a pound of meat and not a quarter. Taste of the meat was superb.
Found a campsite on the Gallatin Mountain range about three miles up the mountain. Only one other camper. $7 for the night unless you are a registered Golden Age Passbook holder. If you try and stay without self registering (envelope and money not the steel tube and the receipt portion on the windshield there is a fifty dollar fine. I suppose someone does eventually pick up the envelopes but I didn’t want a knock on my window in the middle of the night so I dutifully prepaid my spot. Slept like a log in the fresh mountain air. Coyotes nearby made a din a couple of times and there were grunting noises that woke me up, close to the car (I didn’t set the tent up).

Wed. Sept. 7, 2005
Awoken at 8AM by a Ranger putting a reminder notice on my can to pay on the way out. Very organized.

When I went to the Campground Check in I was amazed. The site is run by an agency. There is a Laundromat, and showers. There are only washrooms and dishwashing facilities at each section of the campground. Across the street was a large upscale retail operation including a Lodge, gift shops, 2 restaurants and ice cream shops. Hundreds of cars and a few tourist busses. Telephones everywhere. So much for being in the wilderness. I had skipped breakfast to try and get an early light look at the canyon which is billed as Yellowstone’s answer to the Grand Canyon. Rather annoyed at the commercialization in what I though was the middle of nowhere I rounded a bend, within a hundred yards of the complex, and almost ran into a whacking great Elk crossing the road. No doubt out for a stroll to look at the busloads of Asian Tourists who had arrived enmass for breakfast.

Within ten minutes I was at Inspiration Point looking at the most spectacular view of nature I have ever seen in my life. The distant falls dropped hundreds of feet into the gorge which was carved out of sandstone which is coloured in a variety of hews which the even greatest of artists would have difficulty emulating. Geysers were spewing out of the rocks-this is not an area noted for geysers. The heat from the geysers causes the colouring of the rock. I spent the next 4 hours going to the various look out and marveling at each view. Spent a half an hour waiting for a mother Osprey to return to the nest and feed a baby. The nest was perched on top of a sandstone spire safe from any predator. There were two exceptional lookouts. One was almost at the bottom of the canyon looking up at the fall - Uncle Tom’s Trail.
To get to this point in yesteryear Tom would take tourists down a rope ladder in the more difficult sections. Even today the steep climb down and up the paths and metal stairs would prevent a lot of tourist seeing this view -but worth every tortured breath. The cliffs at this part of the gorge are covered with bright green mosses fed by the fall spray. Rainbows appeared and disappeared as the spray from the falls shifted with the wind. Magical.
The most wonderous sight was from Artist’s point. A life time memory garnered in just a few minutes. The were various views looking to the falls or across or down the gorge. Each view was awe inspiring. The craggy formations of the eroding sandstone, the hues, the depth to the river below. Definitely worth giving up a months pay to come and visit.
The morning had been a good workout -completed all the easy difficult trails. I went back to the camp area and had a shower, $3.00, and did my laundry. Very modern Maytags, $1.25 a big load and same for 30 minutes of drying. While there a huge Bison wandered up to the reception doors and chowed down on the fresh grasses growing under the Pine trees. Nobody made any effort to dissuade it. There are signs all over the park not to go near or feed any animals. Despite this people are gored by these animals and they occasionally take a dislike to certain models of cars and butt them.
Drove back north to Mt. Washburn which I wanted to climb. On the way got stopped by a ranger. As I stepped out to the car to with a quizzical look on my face, from his vehicle he ordered me to stay get back into the car and keep my hands where he could see them. He then approached my car staying very close to the side. When close to the driver’s door but still behind me he asked me to pass him my registration documents and driver’s license. He told me that I was going 45 MPH and that section of the Hiway was 35. I said I was diligently watching for wild animals so as not to injure them. I noticed that even before he received my documentation he had radioed for a check of my registration the word, Pentney, no known problems came across his Walkie Talkie thingy. My registration and insurance cleared O.K. Thank goodness I had done everything properly at the border. He said that he would give me a formal warning which was recorded back at HQ or in the system and if there was another infraction I would be ‘booked.’ He ended a little lecture with a smile and "was there anything that I would like to ask him." Replies swirled in my mind but thankfully did not escape my lips or I am sure he would have found something in the rule book on which to accelerate the ‘booking’ process. I found the whole incident rather disturbing. I had been driving at 40 MPH.
I was now a bit late to start the climb up Mt. Washburn. The guideposts said allow for 4-5 hours. Numerous cautions that Grizzly bears frequent this area in late summer and falls. The date was Sept. 7. Hmmmn! I was starting my climb at 6 PM. Sunset was at 8PM. Onward and upward. It was a grind. Met one hiker coming down the trail. He had decided to turn back. He advised me to do the same. He had come across two herds of mountain sheep- the one with the big horns and they can get vicious. Sure enough one 30 minutes later I found mounds of steaming sheep droppings but no sheep. I made it to the top in one hours. There was a building housing a covered in lounge for tourists and above that a small residence for the rangers who monitor the weather station and forest fire lookout. Another breathtaking 360 degree view. What else at 10, 243 feet. I could see the Grand Teton mountain range which was 75 miles away, and every other mountain range up to a hundred miles. There was a phone in the lounge and I called Ken to thank him for looking after my last group of renters - they had left the cottage in excellent shape. The sun was lowering on the horizon. Time to get down. I jogged about a third of the way down and then had to walk. Different muscles are used on the way down and the morning’s climbs up and down the Canyon Falls had already tired me. Dusk was settling in. The Sun has taken on a dark red and was partially obscured by clouds. I had to walk through to wooded areas and this was unsettling. Great place for bears to hang out. I picked to rocks. There were also numerous plastic poles planted along the paths which are used to indicate the depth of snow in the winter. I thought of taking one of these and sharpening the end and using as a spear in the even of an attack. However, I had left my knapsack in the car. Never again. I hadn’t even brought water on this hike. I did however, bring a jacket and thank goodness because the winds were very strong at time and the notice had said that it snows at any time of year. Back the bears. Every misshapen tree in the now darkened woods took on bear like proportions as did the rocks in the valley. As I walked I looked for tress that that were high enough to climb and remembered the hiker who this summer had used the same escape route only to be out climbed by the bear with awful consequences. I made it to the parking lot before dark. Relieved, tired but exhilarated at having seen another vista that many tourists had would miss. Drove on to the Tower Falls campsite. Made a delicious supper in the dark on my mini Coleman. Turley Wieners, canned/fried potatoes, and canned/boiled Kale and canned Corn. Finished off with some fresh grapes and dried apricots. Slept in the car again because the night air was already cool and I couldn’t be bothered blowing up my air mattress. I looked around the site, little fragments of diminished light coming from dozens of different sources, tents, trailers, camper wagons, fire pits and peoples wandering around with flashlights. Quite a light show. Fell asleep by 10PM only to awoken by the lonely campsite Host reminding me pay for the site before I left. This was a first come first served site and I was abiding by the rules. He could have left a notice but must an unusual bent for waking people up. He probably gets a percentage of the daily take and the absence of a tent put me into the profile of an early morning absconder.

Tues. Sept. 6, 2005. Continued

Did some last minute shopping in readiness for the vast untamed wilds of Yellowstone. Naturally I shopped at the oldest general store in Cooke City-with name of same. The proprietor was closing shop for the winter and I managed to get some last day bargains in what on any day my have been similar to buying groceries at Nieman Marcus. The store was a delight to walk through. Fittings back to the 1800’s were evident and many pictures of the community a hundred years ago. An enjoyable shopping experience.
Sent my blog for the last three days via a wireless connection outside a log cabin up the hill from the main street. I had tried to get a better signal and in the process disconnected my Email pick. Went on Web mail instead and was tempted to apply for a job that Dale had informed me about. However, I have decided to finish off my western tour before I look for or create work. I noticed an Email from Gary about my previous house. I had heard from a neighbor Frank that it was listed for $249,000. You might recall that I sold it five years ago for $165,000.
I made it into Yellowstone park by 8 PM. $20 entrance fee +camping as you used it. I had to drive an hour and a half to the closest campsite that had vacancies. Fisherman had clogged the closer and smaller sites. The road took me across the fabulous Lamar Valley on which Buffalo roamed by the hundred. Because it was dusk I barely missed a huge bull that was in the middle of the road. My tennis and squash conditioned reflexes saves me from hitting the beast that
weighed about the same as my car. I must remember to get my glasses fixed. There were many car parked in the designated spots with tourists trying to see Moose, Wolves and Elks.
The road to the Canyon campsite took me over scenic vistas that I will see again - heading back to Mt. Washburn. The campsite luckily had vacancies-it is not permitted to sleep any where other than at designated sites. There were 227 sites at Canyon. I signed in and drove about a half a mile through the camping village. All the sites were amongst dense stands of Lodge Pole Pine. I slept in the car - it was going to be a chilly night at 7700 feet. Out like a light at 10.30

More Sherida, Big Horn Mountains and Canyon, Wild horses, Caroline Lockart, Japanese internmen/Heart, Garland, Chief Joseph Scenic By Way

2005-09-06T17:37:00.000-07:00

Tues. Sept. 6, 2005.

Up at 6.30 AM on the road by 7. Back to the top of Dead Indian Summit. 8060 feet. Well worth the back track effort. The view covers mountain ranges and valleys, gorges and geographical formations for as far as the eye can see for a span of about 22 degrees. What was even more amazing was the story of the Nez Perce Indians who had managed to elude the government troops in this region throughout many skirmishes. The ingenuity, strategic planning and execution of this tribe thwarted the troops many times. Finally as the result of the numbers of troops deployed throughout the entire Yellowstone District the Nez Perce were beaten. Chief Joseph resigned from fighting any more battles. I felt honored to have visited this region.

While I looked over the vistas and followed the routes of the escaping Nez Perce Indian marveling at the scope of the land and the battles and group of a group of 4 tourists exited a vehicle. tourists and looked at the panorama. However, at before they had to absorb anything a chipmunk appeared on the ledge of the lookout. “Well, will you look at the Chipmunks George” tourist with a strong southern accent said to husband. “Go get him a cracker from the truck” Dutiful; husband did same abandoning his peremptory perusal of the historic signage explaining the history of the region.

Then another Chipmunk appeared. The sacrifices made by conquerors and conquered over a hundred years ago faded in history, preempted by two Chipmunks. “Watching them things eat is making me kinda hungry" said male tourist #2.” "Me too" came was the unanimous response. The group proceeded back to the truck. I do hope with their appetites sated there will be a renewed respect for their history.

On to Cooke City the last town before Yellowstone. A conglomeration of business that look like an old mining town, consisting of restaurants cabins, convenience stores and a few modern motels. Breakfast with coffee and a tip came to $9.50 at the Grizzly Print. The name of nearly every second establishment seemed to include reference to bears. Many had bear skins in addition to trophy heads of dear, elk adjourning the walls.

Monday Sept, 5, 2005

Big Horn Canyon, Montana. Yes I had crossed the state line from Wyoming on my way into the canyon. Crow Indian country – to this day.

Woke refreshed. Hiked a few hundred feet straight up the canyon cliff above me. Followed a plateau and down into a valley. The scenery changed from partial dessert to lush green due the rivulet running from the mountains. I found agate everywhere with myriads of gorgeous varieties of colouring – each piece and all pieces.

I found the Cedar Vale ranch which had been set up initially for mining and then as a Dude Ranch. Now abandoned it was a grim reminder of how hard it was to survive in these remote regions. The big promo that this dude ranch had was to take tourists up the canyon in a wooden motor powered boat (1930’s) and view the one thousand foot high red rock and sandstone cliffs.

Later that day I walked the trail the to the now being restored dude ranch that Caroline Lockhart-famous newspaper and columnist and fictional writer of the early 1900’s to mid 90’s. The ranch is in the shadow of Custer National Park and the Pryor Mountain range. Wild horses (mustangs) range. I was fortunate in seeing a group of six feeding. Very distinct with their unshorn manes and ling tales. I didn’t see any Big Horn Sheep for which the area is named.

Did meet Frank and Jeanette while hiking. They are from Holland and were as impressed with this part of the world as I was. I enjoyed our discussion and was pleased that I could continue socialize despite being in the middle of nowhere.
They agreed with me that to consider America as one country (culturally) is not realistic. They had experienced the vast difference of political attitudes in the various regions. We did agree that all Americans we had me were very friendly and hospitable.

After all my hiking a refreshing swim in the canyon water, ignoring the curious Carp that swum around. Then a hearty cooked lunch on my mini Coleman stove.

Sight of the day was looking from the top of the cliffs at the Devil Canyon Overlook. It was a sheer 1000 foot drop into the ‘river’ below. The canyon walls were vertical and the ‘river’) was only a few hundred feet wide dramatizing the effect. I believe this is the deepest river gorge in America (other than the Grand Canyon) and well worth a visit. The river is damned by the Yellow Tail Dam and is now officially a lake.

Drove to Cody, manned after Buffalo Bill. On the way stopped at the Japanese interment Memorial at Heart Mountain. This is where 11,000 Japanese were imprisoned after the bombing of Pearl Harbor by President Roosevelt’s decree. In retrospect acknowledged by all concerned grave over reaction for political expediency. Conditions were abysmal. Inmates lived in barracks similar to the concentration camps found in Europe. The only remaining structures at Hart are the former hospital and an administration hut. The hospital and outbuilding stand beside a tall brick chimney which makes the resemblance to the concentration camps a grim reminder of man’s machinations.

Stopped and read the marker at Garland. Originally populated by the Mormons under extreme hardship. The area was eventually irrigated by a canal system which bring mountain waters to the previous desert like terrain. A thriving agricultural area. Crop production has exceeded $600,000,000 since the early settlers and World War 2 veterans bid for plots.

Onto the Chief Joseph Scenic Hiway to enter Yellowstone at the northern gate. Went by numerous signs letting me know I was now in Grizzly Bear country (as well as Black Bears). I don’t know if this made me restless during my sleep or whether it the was Poison Ivy that I had touched and was now fully blown with leaking sores in half a dozen places and itching like crazy. Lot’s of opportunity to look into the bushes for bears in the dark while I put balm on my sores. I noted that I had chosen to sleep at the Dead Indian campground, in Shoshone country. You know how things get amplified when you think about them in the middle of the night. Images of Indians seeking revenge swirled in my mind. Why couldn’t they have named the place Deceased Indigenous Person Campsite? Oh well. Morning arrived. I turned back on the route I had come down the mountain. I missed the most spectacular view on the hiway because I was getting dark and I broke my glasses a few days ago and couldn’t read the signs in the twilight. I want to see the view of the Absoraka and Beartooth Mountain from what else the Dead Indian Summit. From campsite at 4,000 feet to summit 10,000 feet, here we go again. It had better be a good view.

Sunday: Sept. 4, 2005

After a very restless night in small motel – the person in the room next to me left the TV blaring all night presumably in a drunken stupor- didn’t respond to my banging on the wall; and the Night Clerk is just a title and not a function as he or she didn’t answer the Desk phone. So no help from Staff. I told the owner next morning and he just asked to clean up staff to make sure the man hadn’t died. No offer to me of a discount for the night or in the future.

This reminded me of Karen Moffatt (a friend) and her sad but superbly told story of a woman who died in the seat next to Karen on a plane returning from France. Karen had as much luck convincing the Stewardess that the woman was dead as I did getting the Motel owner to grasp the customer perspective.

Heading west up the Big Horn Mountain Range to about 9,000 feet. A group of hang-gliderist were launching of a ledge at bout 8,000 into the plains below and quite a crowd of tourist stopped to watch the proceeding. but nobody jumped while I was there. Only one aborted attempt. Spectacular scenery, I think I am going to need an acronym for that. The never ending configuration of mountain formations due to shifts in Teutonic plates etc. makes for breathtaking views.

Met Barbara and Frank from Minnesota. Barbara works in curriculum design for a famous medical entity and Frank is a computer scientist specializing in the narrow field of “Exceptional Analysis” (my term). We exchanged ideas on the work vs. retirement or part time consulting issue. I presented myself as an example of having survived for many years in a hybrid mode – self unemployed. Nice meeting.

I didn’t get very far that day. Stopped at the all the historical markers. Mining, Indian battles, homesteaders and the harshness of the land, first railway lines and first retail businesses were ongoing themes.

Camped in Big Horn Canyon at Barry’s Landing. National Park campground and the welcome committee, Tom and Pam who are volunteers for this position (in exchange for free parking for their trailer for the summer and other renumeration) came to say hello and gave me some must see items in the local area.

They warned me about the bears (black) and to use the steel bunkers provided by the park service to keep food and kitchen items in. A $1500 + fine for leaving food in one’s tent. Bears will also try and get into a car if they smell food so the storage bin was a practical alternative. Garbage disposal units were steel and designed to thwart all bears. Each units costs $1000 and is mounted on a concrete base to dissuade the bear from carrying it off and spending time in the woods pondering how to manipulate the spring loaded opening device.

I was the only tenter in my designated area and enjoyed a very deep sleep without any noises in the night other than the babbling brook running beside my campsite. The temperature stayed around 60F due the canyon rocks holding the daytime 90F heat.

Points on which to ponder:

Is not the sky a father, and the earth a mother, and are not all living things with feet or wings or roots, their children? Black Elk, Oglala Sioux Nation.

On that thought, what happens when we have chance meetings with people? I think the “Crash” current movie written by the Paul…who wrote Cinderella Man explores this theme.

I often meet people on the road and exchange a bit of information as well as some pleasantries. Social Network analysts might shed statistical light on this topic. E.g. I had a great chat with Jascha, who works in the Tourist Guest Centre in Sheridan. He plays various musical instruments and is studying at Sheridan College – not connected with its namesake in Toronto, Canada. We talked about the difficulty in making career choices. He has a conflict in deciding between music or the arts and/or a profession. Me too. Free lancing Vs. a job. I told him that that conflict of choices can be a lifelong dilemma. I recommend that he totally immerse himself in whatever he is doing. He said he finds that very challenging at times. I suggested two movies that relate to the advantages of being focused in the NOW. The Karate Kid and the Last Samurai.

He gave me the guitar tuning notes for open G – something I wasn’t familiar with. Tunes in which the tuning is evident include: Jumping Jack Flash, Tumbling Dice, Brown Sugar and Honky Tonk Woman.

I passed on Simon Woodagates web address Jascha, to give him some inspiration and he advised me that one of his friends from Wyoming was hired to play bass in the English pop group, Dirty Perfect. Now, will his friend ever meet Simon? Simon (who is a music producer and writes all the music the HBO TV show Bob the Builder. And Simon will you check out Dirty Perfect to ask if they could use your services or music studio to record their next big hit?
Who knows?

Sept. 1-3, 05 Uncovering Deadwood, Spearfish Canyon, Devil's Tower-Wyoming, Sheridan-great people.

2005-09-03T18:27:00.000-07:00

Sat. Sept. 3, 2005

Refreshed despite very economical accommodation, once again acquired late in the evening on the outskirts of Sheridan, City named after a Union General of the Civil War but nobody knew why. Evidence of the western life everywhere. I headed for the city centre. Statues of cowboys on street corners. Numerous stores on main street selling western gear. Trophy heads of dozens of different game animals adorned store walls. Again, hunting is part of the way of life here. Wyoming is famous for fishing, big and small games and spectacular scenery.

I spent the morning stocking up on camping supplies and groceries ready for my trek into the mountains. I didn’t have any high rubber boots but had seems numerous signs attesting to rattlesnakes. I chose to buy a small, propane, lightweight cooking stove instead of boots. I have an electric water boiler that runs of the cigarette lighter of the car but I though I might need more substantial meals. Snakebite probability less than hunger probability. An extra flashlight and some groceries in Wal-mart and I am done.

Notable events in the area. The battle between the cavalry and Indians, named after Capt. Fetterman, whose entire troupe of 79 soldiers from Fort Phil Kearny were slaughtered by the 1000 Lakota Sioux, Cheyenne and Arapaho Indians. This event preceded Battle of Little Big Horn which took place in nearby Montana which was the site of Custer’s Last stand. The Fort was built to guard the Bozeman Trail, one of the routes to the goldfields in Montana.

I wanted to visit one historic site in Sheridan so I headed for the home of Buffalo Bill Cody – the Sheridan Inn. Built in 1893 and the place that Bill auditioned for the Cody traveling road show. It was late afternoon I decided to have a Buffalo Burger in this historic setting. The building was fashioned after a Scottish Highland Inn that Cody had seen in his travels. I asked to waitress to take my picture with the original bar in the back ground and advised two persons at the bar they would not be included in the picture. With customary western hospitality, or caution, they asked me where I was from. Always a difficult question for me to answer, so I simply said I had a chequered past. Well you don’t say that to a Doctor and a Lawyer without being asked for clarification. Harry and Hugh were residents in town and I would imagine two of the more colorful characters (in a nice way). They were joined by Susan who has interests in drilling for energy and suggested that I have a ‘look’ at her company. I enjoyed a rambling discourse with all three on the state of the union, world politics, the influence on the sixties (Ginsberg, Malcolm X, and S….name escapes me, writer of Soul on Ice,)on American politics, interspersed with much humor and expression of genuine caring about maintaining traditional values on which this country was built. Harry mentioned that the Queen Elizabeth had visited here once but Prince Phillip had played polo many time in the nearby town settled by the well to do English immigrants. After Harvard the progeny go to Oxford. I asked permission to include a mention of our meeting in my log and left Sheridan with a good feeling that I had got to know it and its people in a more personal way. Thanks.

Interesting that as I write this Kate Johnson, a friend, is on her way to present a paper at a university in England and will be staying on at Oxford for a few days.

Friday Sept. 2, 2005.

At the first sign of light I breather a sigh of relief. Very nice camping area. Maybe I should drink less coffee. Onto the Devil’s Tower. Oh, how impressive. Even from twenty miles away the tower held promise of something spectacular.
It was the first National Monument in USA. A 1250 odd feet high monolith rising out of the Wyoming grasslands.
A sheer vertical rise above the ancient boulders that lie at its base. I registered to climb – there are markers that one cannot go beyond without a permit. I didn’t have the climbing gear to go to the top but could see that one could get above the tree line. There were rock climbers suspended on ropes or inching their way up in a few locations on the vertical face of the tower. Most of the tourists simply walk around the base route on paths that affords excellent views and descriptions. With water and a lunch I set off. I traversed the bolder fields and within a short time was at the base camp for one of the climbing groups.

I climbed as high as I could inching my way up, toe hold, hand hold, never looking down only up. I climbed the tower in three different places so I could see different vistas. At time I was flatted against the rocks, edging my way to another viewpoint, often higher than some of the rock climbers who were tethered to ropes. I will return to this place after taking a rock climbing course. There is apparently a way to climb without ropes but one must be very experienced and know the Tower intimately.

I spoke to a group of climbers who were from France. Iyves and his two sons who were climbing other well known peaks in the western states. We exchange Email addresses and I promised to send the picture that Iyve rappelling down the cliffs.

At the end of my climbs I bought the book of all the known routes for rock climbers that detail every nook cranny that one can insert the myriad of devices to needed to secure equipment. I thought this might be a good place to share a family experience. Thinking of my two sons and grandson. Memories of my two sons and I skydiving together from 15,000 feet on Kevin’s (first son’s) wedding day came back. Hope you guys read this. Jordan (Grandson, 11 years old) climbed the highest rock wall in Las Vegas last year and loved the experience – he can be our guide. Younger climbers have made it to the top of the Devils Tower. Note the missing possessive apostrophe in the name is the legal spelling due to an Editor’s error in the decree naming this a National Treasure.

Early evening and I am on the road west again. No particular destination as long as I end up at Yellowstone Park. Passed many interesting towns, Sundance, (yes where Butch Cassidy hung out) Gillette (mining and coal) and Buffalo; I resisted the temptation to explore why the reason for their names and finally settled at Sheridan for the night.
Once again hundreds of reminders of the

Thurs. Sept. 1, 2005

Enjoyed a free breakfast in the lounge of the Thunder Cove Motel. Choices included Waffles, Maple Syrup, 3 types of bread (tow toasters available), real butter, jams and coffee and decaf. and an assortment of teas. Impressive for the price of the night. I would recommend this motel. Chatted with some tourists from France. They were traveling on motorcycles, a great way to see the country at this time of year. In the parking lot there were American motorcyclists including one lady, riding sole, very stylishly dressed in black leathers including her Stetson hat, staying forever young on a comfortable looking three wheeler.

Well I didn’t make my return to Deadwood on the famous Stagecoach by saw many references to behaviors that were expected if one traveled on same. E.g. No talking about Indian ambushes or stage coach robberies. No drinking unless one shared the bottle. No jumping off the stage coach under any circumstances-I couldn’t imagine any reason that would make sense to leave the coach considering the first two rules.

I got to Deadwood main street in time to see the reenactment of one of the famous gun shootouts. The actors were remarkable in their portrait of life on the streets that was typical of just over a hundred years ago. The plot was as follows: drunk causes a disturbance. Sheriff arrives, talks nicely to drunk. Drunk becomes belligerent because the Sheriff hasn’t drawn his gun. A local hard case takes the side of the drunk. One of the badge less guys makes move and explosions rip the air and would be hero is lying dead on the dusty street. Calamity Jane rushes in and slumps of the prone body and claims that Wild Bill Hickok (the Sheriff) has shot her husband. Will Bill reminds her that she only met the man earlier that evening in one of the upstairs rooms at Miss Kitties and that doesn’t qualify as a marriage. The drunk sees opportunity and advantage of getting on Calamity J’s good side and swears he will avenge the death of prone man. Bill shoots him in the wink of an eye because he’s thirsty and needs to get back to his poker game. CJ follows Wild Bill to Saloon # 10 (current location name) and continues to follow him around as a buddy but never on record as a lover. Bill is shot in the back of the head at a later date by the now infamous Jack McCall.

Calamity Jane’s well documented reputation makes the playing of her character by Doris Day a lesson in the absurd. I visited the Adam’s museum in Deadwood and saw a remarkable/superb collection of original pieces depicting every aspect of life in Deadwood from around 1876 current time. Lot’s of real photos and memorabilia of C. Jane and Will Bill. The current commercial emphasis on gambling was reinstated and legalized in the 1980’s as an effort to save the town from becoming a ghost town. The most impressive establishment today from what I saw was the Eldora do. Also the Franklin Hotel which is famous for the long list of dignitaries who have stayed there including: Teddy Roosevelt, John Wayne, Willie Nelson and Kevin Costner.

Prostitution which was rampant in the gold rush day was legally banned in the 1980’s, however, mannequins of that trade can be seen in the upstairs windows of many establishments.

I took the guided tour of the city by bus ($7) which was well worth to get more historical background especially about the buildings and city planning initiatives over the years. The trip ended up on Hill with a fifteen minutes stop at the final grave site of Wild Bill and Calamity Jane who has an adjacent plot. The century is quite extensive. Over three thousand graves. The town of Deadwood only has a population of 6, 000. There is a Jewish section and a Chinese section, reminders of the diverse immigrant populations that settled in the west.

Next stop was the adjacent town of Lead pronounced Leed, referring to the fact that when quartz was found it would lead to gold. Lead was a highly productive gold mining town from 1876 to late 1990’s. The mine is still owned by Barrick, who have spent $56 million dollars to date winding down operation and making the area safe environmentally. I took the Homestake mine tour which included visiting the open pit which is over one half mile wild and thousands of feet deep. The company has been an excellent employer over the years as is evident by the workplace, the community facilities provided to the workers, and the safety record. Although we didn’t go into the mine which has been sealed and is being naturally flooded the top side equipment and installations were most interesting. Homestake has thousands of patents related to it production and many times are on display.

I chose a route recommended by many to leave South Dakota – Spearfish Canyon. Clarification: it had not been recommended that I leave South Dakota just that when I did….

Well worth the slight detour from Hiway 90. A winding road evoked an involuntary gasp at the beautiful views after each turn in the road. Sandstone cliffs, dare I say a thousand feet in places, rising from the Belle Fourche River, bathed in the rays of the setting sun. I stopped halfway up the canyon. at Roughlock Falls which were pretty but not spectacular. However, the story behind the name refers to the method by which the early prospectors wagon’s were hauled up the precipitous slopes along the river edge. The river bed providing an ad hoc path at certain times of year.

Darkness settled in at the end of a good day in this part of the Black Hills. With tired muscles I relaxed while driving and enjoyed the wide open grasslands which were interspersed with conical eruptions about a hundred feet or in height. The highway stretched endlessly – I know that sounds cliche-ic, but it did. The speed limit was 75 MPH. Naturally many drivers were going significantly faster than this as was evident by the enormous red stains on the asphalt, which stretched for hundreds of feet and were even visible in the headlights; evidence of vehicle and wildlife meeting unexpectedly. There are numerous types of deer, antelope, kudos, big horn sheep, and other beasts wandering the planes. I slowed down. To a comfortable 60.

Headed west and crossed into Wyoming. Following the sunset and the routes of the early settlers of the west. I found a campsite after dark in the hills about 20 miles from the Devils Tower – my next destination. Now, whether the name of destination was a factor in the name of the campsite I had my creepiest night ever. The campsite was a National Forest site. It was totally deserted. I arrived at 10PM and self registered. The price had been reduced to $8 because they had cut the water off. I left $5 in the envelope and a Pentney perspective rationale for my deduction. I dutifully inserted the envelope into a locked steel tube and was prepared to argue my point in the wee hours of the morning when the park ranger inspected the coffer.

So into the woods, I chose campsite #24. Nothing with 6’s, 13, or other spirit enducing mathematics. I could barely see the stars because of the thick canopy of pine trees. I have seen two horror movies in my life. One in my early teens that convinced me that I didn’t have the stomach or the nerves for the genre. The other was this summer with my grandson. I had unfortunately, out of curiosity picked up a used copy of the Blair Witch Project. Jordan (Grandson) said he would like to see the movie. A bonding moment. We could discuss it after ward. I should have phoned him from the forest for moral support. I kept thinking about that dammed movie. This place looked as though it was the movie set. I hadn’t at that point read about how the Devil’s Tower got its name and kept thinking that there might be a relationship between my campsite and the local attraction. I didn’t bother setting up my tent – I cranked my driver’s seat into rest mode and crawled into my sleeping bag. I left the window open just enough to pick up the sounds of the forest. I prayed that another camper would arrive, but then I thought they might not be legitimate campers-now recalling the horrific scene in Easy Rider when Hoffer and Fonda experience the inhospitalities of a remote rural community. Mind running rampant, afraid to attend to natures call and venture across the campsite to the ominous looking outhouse, I drifted into a fitful sleep.

Wal-Mart, Ellsworth Air Force Base, Minute Man Missiles, Sturgis/Motor cycles, Sturgis Library and Deadwood.

2005-09-01T09:55:00.000-07:00

Wed. Aug. 31, 2005.

Stayed a very comfortable Motel Six at Hiway 90 exit 59 priced at $45 US. I mention pricing because at this time of year prices of average motels range are about $65 to $85. I had intended to camp near my next destination of Ellsworth Air Force Base but a very high and consistent wind had “blown in” and camping would have been impossible. I needed to stock up on supplies so off to Wal-Mart on the outskirts of Rapid City. The store was large. 225 yards long and 30 yards wide. Complete grocery store included, plus a Bank, Optometrist, and so on. Prices were reasonable. One criticism of Wal-Mart is that they have narrow aisles. This is one reason that Target stores are taking some of their market share. This merchandise portion of the store lived up to the critisicm but the grocery section had wide aisles and well lit displays. The fresh meat section looked superb, which reflects that this is cowboy country and they take their meat seriously.

The visit to Ellsworth Base brought me back to the reality of how technology is an underpinning of our lives. Viewed the airplane museum section and marveled at the size of the some of the aircraft. The B52 bombers had four sets of wheels to help carry their 130 + bomb load. The plane (or similar model) that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima was on display. This month marked the 50th anniversary of that event. I recently read the decision making process that went into which city was going to be bombed re: political impact, loss of human capital (it was called something else in those days) e.g. how many intellectuals lived in potential target cities, etc. Chilling.

The trip around the air base was completed by bus on a guided tour. We were literally in a self contained city with a few thousand personnel living on the base. The base was built as part of the 1960’s cold war offensive and was the hub of control for 150 Minute Man missiles which were dotted in a 100 miles radius in the wilds of South Dakota. Our group entered a missile silo and was guided to a viewing platform about 40 feet underground and could look down into pit which the missile stood in. Total depth about a hundred feet. The missile stood ready for launch underground protected by a five foot thick slab of concrete. The command centre manned at all times by two persons was in another location. Each command centre controlled fifteen missiles. Today the missiles (-1) are removed the silos filled in and the land rented to farmers. What I found amazing was the communication technology that existed over forty years ago. The fail safe systems, the electronics, and the rocket propulsion systems. As a person who missed the draft in U.K. by a couple of years, I wonder whether a couple of years in the armed forces might not have done me some good. Certainly would have been an eye opener.

Now onto the hamlet of Sturgis, renowned as the motorcycle Mecca for one week every year in August when hundreds of thousand motor cyclists visit. Luckily I just missed the gathering and the place had a normal population. I drove in during early evening. It was a ghost town. Only one motor cycle on the mainstreet and a the usual plethora of pick up trucks. The sidewalk outside the Motor Cycle Museum had bricks imbedded that honoured riders who are now “in the sky.”
The only other signs of anything unusual about town were the large bars with names like Knucklehead Saloon. Obviously built to cater to a less than genteel crowd, and festooned both inside and out with velocipedes, other mechanical contraptions and provocative signage. I met Candy the Barperson in said establishment and asked her what the place was like during the week of celebration. ‘Crazy’ was her unhesitating response. I replied you mean like ‘really crazy,’ trying to determine whether she had given me a broad or narrow perspective. ‘Yep, crazy. You wouldn’t believe how crazy.’ Any trouble with all that drinking going on? I asked. ‘No’ Candy replied, ‘People just having a good time.’ Well so much for me trying to glean some great stories for the journal. Just a bunch of tourists who prefer two or three wheels and the feel of fresh air when they are traveling.

My next stop was the local library to send this missive. The laptop picked up a signal and I began to write. Then I began to cough and cough. There was something malodorous in the air. I asked Cheryl the resident librarian was there something I should be aware of in the interest of my comfort or longevity. She replied that I was probably catching the mold (sic) (not a cold, the mold) and that I wouldn’t have to put up with it for much longer because in a few weeks they were moving to their new library. I asked why ‘they’ put up with this condition. No alternative. Small town 6,000 residents. Library serves a district of 20,000. Funding for a new building came from fund raising efforts of the library staff over the years and a few grants. Recently they made $9,000 on an initiative of which I don’t recall the detail. Finally they raised the $1.5 million dollars needed for a new building. I was shocked. Did the funding provide for early retirement for the staff that must have obviously been affected by their working conditions? Regrettably no! The ceilings showed signed of a leaky roof and the floors were bowed and would have accommodated skateboarders looking for something to accelerate down and up. I took pictures of the outside of the buildings. Not to criticize but libraries need to be marketed. This building had absolutely no presence. I thought back to how beautiful the Portage library was. I wish I had more time to learn about the community. Perhaps going back to the areas historical roots might help. I drove on to Deadwood a few miles up a canyon.

Shock, absolute shock. Deadwood’s history was evident in the movie set façade that lined one street and the names of establishment in the historic district. But what got my attention was that every store on main and side streets was a modern gambling establishment with yesteryear accruement such as chandeliers, black stockinged ladies serving drinks and signage touting that Wild Bill Hickock or some other notable had died right here.

I checked into a very nice, well priced motel on the edge of town, the Thunder Cove Inn and headed back into town without my six guns but armed with discount coupons for drinks, slot machines and meals. The welcome package I received at the motel included these and many other product promotional items such as tooth whitener, breakfast bars and Nivea face cream. How times have changed. I played the slots at the Gold Dust Saloon which was a half a dozen former stores now linked. The array of machines needed some explanation and Bob, one of the personnel explained the intricacies of losing money in increments of 1 cent and up. My budget was $10. My obvious losses were offset by the complimentary draft beer and the $1 free play. I wandered and wondered up and down Main Street. The presence of only a people in each establishment confirmed that tourist season was over, as is this day of travel for me. Tomorrow I explore the real history of this area.

South Dakota, Mt. Harney, Sylvan Lake

2005-08-31T17:17:00.000-07:00

Tues: August 30, 2005

Waking up with the sun streaming through the windows and the ‘Needles’ mountain range in sight was magnificent. Breakfast at Boots up the street from the motel and then up to the Sylvan Lake district. Set off to climb Mt. Harney, the highest peak between the Rockies and the Pyrenees in France/ Spain. 7200 feet. The climb was rated as challenging and one had to register for entering a National Forest. The recommended time for the climb was 4-5 hours. Well worth the effort. Views were spectacular giving one vistas on the way up of the Needles rock formations and the entire Black Hills from many vantages. At the peak there was a stone fire tower with an observation deck. Wind speed was low and the sky cloudless so the view was limitless. Breathtaking didn’t quite capture the emotion of being so high above the other hills. There was a water reservoir sculpted in the rocks just below the tower and although presently empty if would am sure be a valuable resources under specific circumstances. I could see Custer Park in the valley’s below and many of the other notable places on the map. Met Heidi , Jeff, (Mum and Dad) William, Jon and their sister whose name I regret was lost due to altitude sickness or old age. The overall climb, ocializing and lots of stops for pictures on the way down took three hours. May I suggest, dear reader, that keeping in shape pays dividends in terms of what one can do and the comfort level in the execution. Despite this being a notable part of the Black Hills there were very few climbers in relation to the many tourists at lower levels.

Back at Sylvan Lake. The setting of the lake amongst large glacial rocks made it the prettiest small lake I have ever seen. I didn’t swim but there were young people who had just completed some organized running who let out great whoops of ‘joy’ when they went into the water.

I finished the day touring around some unexplored winding roads, just awed by some of the views. I left the Black Hills with the sun setting on both the day and my trip into this enchanted area. Tomorrow Ellsworth Air Base Force.

South Dakota, Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse, Custer/Park

2005-08-30T20:12:00.000-07:00

Monday. August 29, 2005

Woke up after a chilly night on mountain in the Dakota Black Hills by Pachtola Lake. Had set up my tent in the dark, again. Site classified as wilderness. You get a picnic table, a campfire pit, a sloping piece of ground to pitch the tent, the use of the outhouse (no sink) and a bill for $20 US. The operation of National Forest Commission campsites are subcontracted to concessionaires who apparently can set their own prices. A letter to one’s Congressman is the recourse to challenge the pricing. Not exactly an issue as important as softwood lumber or beef exports so my plan of action will be to avoid National Parks campsites. Motels are priced at $30 and up at this time of year.

I had an early morning swim in the ‘lake’ which was actually a reservoir. Someone had forgotten to open the sluice gate and the water was down about twenty feet and I wandered across soggy, dried out weed beds before I could find a rock to launch off into the lake. The water was pleasantly refreshing. The reservoir supports various fish including Northern Pike which someone had illegally introduced. Turtles popped up around me while I was swimming and the clarity of the water made this a little disconcerting.

Drove to Hill City, a former gold rush/mining town. Very pretty Main Street. Breakfast at a Hill City Café on Main Street. Savoy Hotel prices. The portions were generous and they did accommodate my request for breakfast at 11.02 AM two minutes after the cut off. I am trying to promote the use of local businesses rather than fast food chains and I think that a restaurant should be able to provide a breakfast at any time of day without charging a premium. Chef’s and restaurant owners please feel free to comment.

Off to MT. Rushmore. The drive is to get there is spectacular. And the suddenly you turn a corner and they are. High up on the mountain the four presidents. Now at this point one might be inclined to do a drive past visit and save the the $8 parking fee includes admission to the site and repeated complimentary visits for the rest of the year. Good value. However, I recently read about totally immersing oneself into meaningful events in order to have enough depth of experience on which to reflect and therefore change facets of one’s being. Well, I watched all the movies, read all the display posters, took the guided tours and visited the sculptor’s studio and off course looked repeatedly at the mountain from every angle. Breathtaking, beautiful, magnificent, stirring, awesome, unbelievable and as the tour guide said in her own words, I asked her, a place that helps you dream and proves that dreams can came true. The artist’s studio presentation was given by Jerry Jessen and former high school teacher and coach. He included an overview of art and sculpture as part of his introduction of the process of how Gutzon Borglum had created the work with four hundred local workmen. After some personal discussion Jerry gave me the name of an artist/sculptor to follow up on, Andy Goldsworthy. I asked him if he was familiar with Camille Claudelle, Rodin’s pupil and mistress and recommended to him the movie of that name. Fin sided off my visit with a Buffalo Burger in the very modern restaurant in the complex and chatted with the staff were from various countries including Poland and Japan. Note. The big breakfast at the restaurant is $3.95.

I have often said I think that every child born in the world should be given a ticket to DisneyWorld to foster world unity. Now I think that every American child should be given a ticket to Mount Rushmore to promote a greater understanding of the dreams on which America was founded, the achievements that can be attained and the sheer ingenuity of man. A must see site, especially if one immerses.

The on to Crazy Horse, the gargantuan sculpture in progress near Rushmore, not to compete with it but to honor the north American Indians heritage. Again I immersed myself. Overwhelming. Started by one man, Korczak Ziolkowski and now continued by his family. A private undertaking without any tax dollars. The movie of Korczak, fifty years ago building 741 steps up the mountain face and lugging his drilling equipment up those steps every day, for many years on his own brings tears to ones eyes. Even today his family members continue to build on his dream. The visitor centre and museum honoring the north American Indians cover acres of indoor exhibits housed in a timbered building. Well worth a visit. One is humbled by the efforts of this simple but talented man and the dedication of his family to a cause.

Feeling somewhat overwhelmed I header for town of Custer and completed the tour of Custer Park. Pretty country side, lots of wild Buffalo roaming. Took a drive up to a viewpoint, Coolidge Tower at which I caught the sun setting over the Black Hills. Brilliant. Now dark, searched for a campsite, $15 was the cheapest. Back to Custer and stayed at the very reasonably priced Valley Motel 605-673-4819, owned and operated by Li Yen. Received a very warm welcome and recommendations of what to see in the area. Paul, another guest visiting from Belgium and Li Yen and I exchanged travel stories to wrap up the day.

Mitchell and the Corn Palace, South Dakota. Start Badlands, Caleba's

2005-08-28T16:44:00.000-07:00

Corn, corn, cornSaturday, Aug. 27, 2005. Slept at campsites. Corn, corn. The Missouri River is beautiful. Hunting is a way of life here. I stopped at Cabela’s outdoor store. An incredible place that caters to hunters. This deserves a full write up-later and pictures. Don’t dare mention animal rights within 500 miles of this place. There were hundreds of animal trophy heads on the walls, thousand of shotguns and handguns and thousands of fishing rods and reels. No exaggeration. The display of stuffed wildlife at the end of the store, depicting all the animals that could be hunted locally, was museum quality and breathtaking.

Visited a settler’s homestead made of sod, typical of this area and written about in Laura Ingall Wilders, Little House on the Prairie. See www.whiteprairiedogs.com For the story on the homestead I visited. I took some great pictures which will be posted later.

Entered the Badlands. Breathtaking and beautiful. 50 miles of scenery. Up and down the wall of glacial deposits of sculptured canyons and buttes. The battle of Wounded Knee took place here and the local Indian were granted freedom to memorialize the battle with freedom of expression on the historical plaques. A tragedy.

Friday. Aug. 26, 2005. Corn, corn, corn.
Corn, corn, corn but this time they community did something spectacular with it. They built an arena out of it and decorated it with beautiful murals made out of corn. "They" change the murals and the exterior every year and the photographs of the murals throughout the past hundred years are fascinating. Well worth a visit. What is fascinating about visiting this type of venue are the pictures displayed of the community and the way of life. To think that much of the land wasn’t developed until the mid to late 1800’s; the progress since then is impressive. but this time they community did something spectacular with it. They built an arena out of it and decorated it with beautiful murals made out of corn. "They" change the murals and the exteror every year and the photographs of the murals throughout the ast hundred years are fascinating. Well worth a visit. What is fascinating about visiting this type of venue are the hist

South Dakota, Badlands, Buffalo, Wall's Store and city Calebas Outfitters, Again Books, and Microwave Towers.

2005-08-28T16:36:00.000-07:00

Sunday: August 28, 2005 4 PM. I might not get all the previous days backlog written before nightfall – still need a campsite but here goes. I’m in Rapid City, South Dakota outside the Prince and the Pauper hooked up to someone’s’ wireless.

Bought two items at Again Books and Bazaar, 612 St. Joseph Street Rapid, SD. 40, 000 books to choose from. Well laid out store. Intellectual Capital by T. Stewart. An audio tape, How to Manage and Set Priorities by Stephen Young.

Just spent an hour talking to Karen and Joan, sisters from Minnesota. We sat on a bench in the shade in downtown Rapid City. Karen has a started a grass root’s movement fighting radio frequency waves from various sources but especially microwave towers. She and Joan live in Mayer, Minnesota, in the country, and have observed a dramatic increase in cancer incidents in their rural community since a large microwave tower was installed. Lot’s of political intrigue and big business influence. Karen invites people to contact her on this/their related issue at kshully@gmail.com We naturally discussed my interest in health issues and look forward to keeping in touch. I forgot to tell Karen that I have investments in Alviron a company that specializes in WiMax a new technology for internet broadcasting using towers. I will have to do my homework.

After traveling though the South Dakota Badlands and stopping to read very scenic lookout plaque and hiking up innumerable canyons I went off to a wilderness area to look for buffalo. There weren’t any of the critters on the main tourist routes despite scads of advertising promoting them. Regrettably by the time I got to the campground I had run out of water. I had completed a 5 KM run that morning on the Notch and other trails and was drinking a lot of fluids. I started my hike and it was hot. 100F. I started my buffalo hike from remote Sage Creek campground. 200, 000 acres to cover to find the buffalo. After considerable up and downs trying to see yonder, I spotted little black dots in the distance in a valley. Sun was merciless. My trip was perilous. By now I was cooked. I tucked my arms in my T shirt to reduce sun exposure, cocked my hat to block the sun and carried on. I needed photographs to substantiate this unbelievable discovery. Tourist had told me they had seen one or two buffalo on their trips through the area. Perhaps the sun was playing tricks on me. Buffalo mirages. The dots might have been trees. And then about a mile to go I walked right into a big buffalo lying in the grass. He rolled onto his back. I had read this is a sign prior to attack. I headed toward the river bank as nonchalantly as I could and picked a spot that I could jump down the bank. If Buff attacked he would go charging over the top of me and fall into the sluggish waters below. HA. The bank was about 20 feet high and I couldn’t find a spot to get down. By now Buff or Buffy, I forget to look at the genetilia,
now looks more like a bull ready to charge than a docile flavor alternative to a Big Mac. Any way I finally scramble down the bank, say a few Hail Mammals and carry on along the river bad. And then half an hour later there they are. A giant herd, young old, mother and bull like big ones. I got within fifty yards, too close for comfort and took numerous pictures. There were obvious signs of agitation and the park guidebook had warned that because these animals are attacked by predators they are quite dangerous if disturbed. I thanked the Indian gods for the pictures and my spared life and headed carefully, oh so carefully past large steaming mounds of buffalo dinner droppings back to the campsite. Pictures I had but I also had dehydratum deliriums. And the only food I had were two cans of spaghetti sauce. I was going shopping when I left to the park. I read the label. Water, tomatoes and salt and spices. Just what the doctor ordered. One can later I felt much better and headed to the town of Wall for supplies and to visit the famous Wall Drum Emporium that is the Midwest’s answer to Disney.

Passsed a car going into Wall and was promptly pulled over by the Sheriff (sirens wailing). The ticket was stated at one hundred dollars. Speeding and passing in a single lane. I told Sherriff Dickenson that the man I passed was dithering and I needed to make an executive decision. He said I should have hung back. He asked me if I knew the speed limit for Wall. I quoted the typical limit in most towns. 35. He scoffed. “We are 15 MPH.” I was humbled by my ignorance and the look of defeat prompted him to let me off with a warning. I don’t think my car can go as low as fifteen miles an hour so I spent my time in wall walking everywhere. Wall drug store was an experience. I polished off a gallon of their famous free ice water, a buffalo burger, a beer and a strawberry ice cream sundae. Well hydrated, a hundred dollars better of I stocked up on groceries ready for the next leg of the journey.

I headed back to Sage Creek campground in the dark, the very dark, and saw dozens of deer and GIANT jackrabbits in my headlights. I set up camp in the dark so as not to disturb the half a dozen or so other neighbors. I have a tent you just bang a knob in the middle and it self erects. Put in pegs and a canopy that clips on the side posts and 3 minutes you are done. Unfortunately, all my zippering getting in spooked the horses that a group of cowboys had brought with them in trailers -4 trailers, 10 horses. The horses started the dogs howling, which started the coyotes wailing that set of hundred of prairie dogs (gophers) which dot every yard of landscape. The yelping of the gophers was cacophonous and then the campers started hissing at the respective pets and the whole scene was like an orchestration of the modern symphonies in which the environment sounds are part of score.

Later that night the melodious manifestation was repeated triggered by sources other than my zippering. Finally the world settled down, I gazed at milky way that stretched from horizon to horizon, without dilution from city lights and fell asleep and then later wake freezing cold. This is desert country. More clothes and woke at 8 AM. Didn’t stop to chat with other campers as I had received a couple of calls regarding cottage rental and needed to get near some microwave towers to get a signal for the cell. Onto Scenic on Hiway 44 and through some more Badlands. Beautiful drive.

Saturday, Aug. 27, 2005. Slept at campsites. Corn, Corn. The Missouri River is beautiful. Hunting is a way of life here. I stopped at Cabelas outdoor store. An incredible place that caters to hunters. This deserves a full write up more later and pictures.

Friday. Aug. 26, 2005. Corn Corn Corn.

Reagan's family home Iowa and South Dakota

2005-08-26T10:57:00.000-07:00

Thursday Aug. 25, 2005

Started the day with Dunkin donut breakfast instead of a swim. Balance and moderation in all things. Somewhere along Interstate 80 is a sign that pointed to one of President Reagan's childhood home. My commitment to understanding , enjoying and waxing forth about America included memorizing the list of presidents names and visiting Presidential digs. A guided tour through the Reagan family home and watching a video about the same revealed that Reagan had been a keen student, an avid reader at the local library and a good all-round athlete. One of his part time jobs was lifeguard at the local swimming home where he is is credited with saving over 70 lives. His good looks and muscular physique may have contributed to many damsels in distress needing his immediate assistance.

I visited the Dixon library. The building was contributed to the city by a Mr. Dodge and boasts some fine woodwork and high ceilings. The later additions look more dated than the original parts of the library. I will post pictures of the libraries I visit on a separate page in a few days - once I find a library with wireless connectivity.

Continuing west now along Hiway 30 through Iowa. Corn, corn, corn and more corn and some Soy bean crops. I spoke to a local and asked him whether they had ever tried growing Millet. They had but it had not been marketed well and they stuck with corn and soy. I wondered if the huge orders the farmers get from Kelloggs had anything to do with the killing the millet market. Notwithstanding that corn and it's by products are found in just about everything we consume or manufacture. Margaret Visser's book Everything to do about dinner.

I ate in a truck diner and ordered a corned beef on rye. Yes, couldn't escape the subliminal influence of corn. However, when the meal arrived I couldn't eat the meat. Considering that there is a healthy beef industry throughout the entire mid west one would think the meat would be fresh. It was packaged corned beef, boiled in hot water. I exchange the sandwich for a burger. The burger was made from beef and soy products. I expected meat made from grain fed cattle. I found this food experience annoying because after reading Schlosser's book on the American fast food industry I was determined to support small independent businesses rather than fast food chains.

Another few hundred miles more miles and then a delightful experience at gas station, meeting Josah, Elizabeth, Frank and another young ladies name that I didn't quite catch. Their friendliness in greeting a total stranger attests to a spirit of hospitality that is often overlooked in the American culture. Josah is starting courses at Columbia, University of Chicago this fall and I wished her well as well as recounting my favorable impressions of Chicago as a city.

Exhausted after a long days drive I pulled into a rest stop and grabbed few weeks that turned into a few hours. I had difficulty finding motels on that particular stretch of hiway. I awake a 7.30 AM quite refreshed and discovered I was on the bank of the river. Next stop Sioux Falls. Interesting area. Indian names abound on the buildings and streets sign. This is territory that Lewis and Clark visited. Also known for it's sod houses. Writing this from the Sioux Falls library. I should reach Mount Rushmore tomorrow. But first the Bad Lands

Michigan; Kelloggs Corn Flakes, Pfizer Pharma, Portage

2005-08-25T08:58:00.000-07:00

Wednesday Aug. 24, 05.

A swim in the motel got me of to a refreshing start. Water was a tad cool but the 80F air temperature offset by half an hour of sunbathing. Today was a reading and catch up day. Needed oil change. Priced two places high $20’s and $31.95. Then saw a sign $13.95 + the 6% Michigan taxes. Very modern clean establishment. Free wireless internet and coffee avail able while you wait for the car to be serviced. In and out before I had time to finish my Email.

Then a haircut. Again prices ranged from the $20 to $11. The barber and I had a chat about the current state of American politics. He carefully couched his views as somewhat being displeased with the Bush administrations taking America to war. We discussed the current war in Iraq and the Vietnam war. Because I had mentioned that I was from Canada he referred to having detested the draft dodgers in the sixties, however, he viewpoint had been somewhat mollified by age and seeing the casualties escalating. I mentioned that I had read (New York Times) the cost of the Iraq war was estimated to cost every American $11,600 by the time the veterans has received their benefits. And that is if the war ends soon.

Bought a new digital camera at Circuit City. An HP 6.2 mega pixel with 3x optical zoom and extra digital zooms and so on. As you may remember my old HP got damaged when I was attacked by the Muskrat and although it still worked it was unreliable. This trip deserves a good camera. And the price, oh my the price $219 US + 6% sales taxes, and a free kit thrown in-camera bag, lens cleaner and other goodies. I love America.

Off to the Portage library. One of the best I’ve seen although the librarian in the children’s section told me that Kalamazoo was even better and it had won the library of the year award in a recent year. Portage Library did not have a wireless hookup which means that I cannot update my web site from my computer. I find it unusual how many libraries are not ‘wired; and yet in the Portage and other communities the gas stations, coffee shops and other venues (as above) are actively promoting wireless availability. However, the Portage Library has the very best gardens I have ever seen around a municipal complex. Magnificent.

So goodbye Michigan. Hit the road heading west. My well worn path on HiWay 80. The inevitable traffic jams finally gave way to the open road and clickety clack of concrete surfaces. Beautiful sunset, starry cloudless night and a cheap motel rounded off my day. Well, not quite. A young group of people had decided to rent a motel room to party and were gathered outside their rooms drinking. The girls in the group were appeared to be very young. I wondered if their parent’s would be aware that motel rooms were now an option to a milk shake or a movie at the local drive in. Fortunately the group ‘settled in’ before midnight, and surprise, and seemed to have got to a very early start the next day.

Tuesday Aug. 23. 2005

Comfortable night in a Motel 6 near Kalamazoo. Visited the city of Battle Creek – the “cereal capital’ of the world. The focal point of my visit was the W.K. Kellogg’s company visitor centre called Kellogg’s Cereal City USA (KCCU) The manufacturing plant tours were discontinued in 1996 for safety reason and KCCU has a simulated production and packaging line, excellent historic displays, movies on the history of the company and plenty of activities for the children.

From the visitor centre I went to Kellogg foundation and learning about their philanthropy. They have a vested interest in nutrition and community development. The foundation is trying to promote a trend to communities being more self sufficient and sustainable development. My article on supermarket shopping is very timely. The foundation has a totally separate mission from Kellogg manufacturing and highlights the rift between the wellness aspect of diet and the commercial production of food products-an areas of contention between the two Kellogg brothers. One Kellogg was only interested in the promotion of wellness and was the founder of a world renowned sanitarium devoted the improving people’s health. The other brother was interested in the manufacturing, sales and marketing of the foods developed.

My interest in Kelloggs was both management and wellness. I have just added a page to my web site about the products that one should avoid in a supermarket. Packaged cereals would be an item that I would recommend discretion on eating. So what better way to find out what is in the products than go the source. Well worth the visit. A detailed write up on what goes into a Kellogg cereal box go to http://www.timemanage.com/ and see the Supermarket shopping article.

By chance I had parked my car outside a storefront/company named Standard Organization Solutions. (SOS) I spoke to the Manager Paval who not only gave me a very informative overview of the consulting services that company provides but took me down the street to another store (Scientology) to meet a wonderful group of people; Sue, Juana, Roberta and Billie. We exchanged ideas and stories about values, business, religion, travel, and books. It was a thoroughly enjoyable visit and I appreciated their warm welcome and spontaneous engagement with me. Juana provided me a ‘must read’ book. Pavel had given me some business literature. What was most interesting was the ‘tie in’ between the two entities SOS and Scientology. Ron Hubbard the founder of Scientology has written extensively on business management and developed a comprehensive business management training program. SOS specializes in implementing the consulting and facilitates the training. I was impressed with quality of all of the written materials I was shown in the Scientology office and the hierarchal responsibility work boards in SOS. Persons/companies subscribing to the business methodologies can become members of an international organization call WISE.

I then drove to nearby Portage the home a one of the biggest manufacturing plants I have ever seen. The Pfizer drug company. The plant stretched for about half a mile of continuous building. I tried to get in for a tour but they don’t provide them. Pity I have just written some more perspectives on pharmaceutical drug on my web site use and wanted to get some ‘inside’ information. I believe that same conflict surrounds the Kelloggs values would also be apparent in the Pfizer empire. Wellness vs. profit.

Another notable aspect of Battle Creek is that it where the Republican party was founded in the mid 1880's. The name of the area and the legacy of the Republican party are not related.

Portage was a very modern, clean community on the outskirts of Kalamazoo (a place I had taken training courses with the Clayton Dynamometer company in the late 60’s when I was the Technical Coordinator for Gulf Oil Canada). It was early evening and I went for a 6 KM run on a bike trail that runs off Milham Park. Then a meal at Dennys and off to another motel.

The Fred Pentney road trip across America 2005

2005-08-20T17:04:00.000-07:00

Monday Aug. 22, 2005.

Visited the Harley Davidson manufacturing plant on the North West part of Milwaukee. The drive out gave me another perspective of the city – the suburbs. The plant is located on 117th Street and yes that’s how many streets from the lake I had to travel.

The HD story is interesting and amazing. Hundreds of motorcycle companies have collapsed since the early 1900’s including famous names such as Excelsior and Indian. Considering the experience of American car manufacturers and their loss of market share at home and abroad to the Japanese and S. Koreans and Europeans it is indeed remarkable that HD has not only survived but gained a global reputation for engineering and design excellence.

In contrast I visited a manufacturing plant for quality leather goods specializing in briefcases. The location is on N. Water Street in the heart of the business district. At 1.PM the doors were still locked from the weekend. The neon sign posted in the window was ‘on’ and displayed an unmistakable OPEN. The hours sign stated the store opened at 12.30 to 4 PM. However, in small print it said these hours were flexible and one should phone before visiting the store. Note, that this business is the first listing in an official Milwaukee events activities shopping guide. An to top it off there was a sign on the door that said something about, “If you are going to do it, then do it with quality.” The store lived up to the motto. I.e. We are closed and you cannot get in. So there!

This reminded me of another sign that I had seen posted many times on public (School Board) building around the city in Milwaukee. The gist was ‘To do everything to a high standard.’ This reminded me of signs that I had seen in East Berlin the day after the ‘Wall’ came down. You know the old standards, ‘Work hard,’ ‘Pull your weight,’ ‘Your country is relying on you’ etc. It was ironical that one Milwaukee school ‘quality’ sign was hanging above a lawn that hadn’t seen a lawnmower in 6 months. Message to the board. – don’t send out mixed messages to the students. Their world is already a very confusing and contradictory place.

Finished Milwaukee. Said my goodbye’s to Kate leaving her to prepare papers and curriculums galore. I headed south back through Chicago and crawled with other expressway traffic through numerous hiway development projects.

I then headed east again toward Kalamazoo. I am going to visit the Kellogg Corn Flakes factory in Battle Creek. That should give me something to write about.

Fred tastes the beer in Milwaukee-an East Side Dark Ale. Good!

Sunday Aug. 21, 2005 . Cycled through Milwaukee in the morning. Covered the downtown and factory districts. Visited the Villa Terrace Museum and Gardens, a 1920's mansion which is now a decorative arts museum. Enjoyed a coffee and muffin while listening to a jazz duo in the courtyard. Then a walk through the manison and through the gardens, which spread down the hill onto the lakeshore . Reminded me of Vizcaya Mansion in Miami. Had supper at the Rockbottom Cafe a riverside restaurant in downtown Milwaukee.

Friday. Aug. 19, 2005 Went to the Milwaukee Irish Fest this evening. Great. Just like the Canadian National Exhibition grounds in Toronto. Tasted Frozen Custard. Observed the Butter Burger signs but didn't partake. Watched Leahy the Celtic group from Lakefield, Ontario perform. Brilliant. Very talented and entertaing. Virtuoso fiddle, keyboards and tap dancing. All members of group from the same family.

Just wanted to thank Kate J. for getting me inspired enough to create this blog. Have been visiting with her at her new digs in Milwaukee, a condo near the Lower East Side district a few minutes from the lake. I am impressed with Milwaukee. A respect for architecture and individuality is evident both in the downtown and surrounding areas. As a former resident of Toronto, Ontario, Canada I was able to compare districts of the two cities. Toronto lacks the openess of Milwaukee's lake front. In Milwaukee there are no rows of high rise condos blocking the view of the lake. Instead, bicycle paths meander along the shore giving access to parks, enetertainement complexes, marinas and the splendid Calatravo art museum. Sand beaches are interspersed, as are small lakes and coffee shops. Bluffs rise from the lake at the north end of the city near the University of Milwaukee.

Writing this from the Milwaukee Library to this point using local Wi-Fi hot spots. I went to the University of Milwaukee campus on the off chance that I would run into Kate. I had an invitation made about a month ago to stop over on my way out west. I didn't announce my where or when abouts for the past few weeks. And sure enough I am schlepping through the halls and walk right into her. We seem have found a comfortable friendship after the turbulence and termination of our relationship a few years ago. Tomorrow we go to Irish Fest which is one of the biggest annual ethnic celebrations on this continent.

Got to Chicago yesterday and fell in love with the City. Went to Oak Park district and saw a lot of Frank Lloyd. Wright’s houses and 'his' Unity Temple. Then through the 'bad' areas for a contrast. Walked the Golden Mile (Michigan Avenue) and then took the Riverboat twilight cruise and saw the city at night from the boat plus saw the big buildings from the river. Fabulous. I have a number of other places to see. Could spend a week there easily. But I am moving on. Going to Milwaukee today.

No problems getting the car imported. Took about 40 minutes, 20 in each country customs offices. Paid the GST to the Canadians. US side cost me zero. I get it safety checked, emission tested and registered tomorrow morning with my CDN plates. I’m in a hotel near the border. Registering the car in Ontario was a breeze. They charged me sales tax on the price I paid-not book value. Saved a few bucks - will stay in a motel to celebrate. Sunday. Drove from Washington to Windsor today

Spent a fabulous day in Washington Sat. I had booked a breakfast meeting with my current investment Guru. I subscribe to his newsletter. So I got to meet him with about 150 other subscribers. Then did the show. Learned a lot about investments. Met some more good contacts in the business.

Wardman Marriott Hotel was magnificent - I stayed at a less expensive motel on the outskirts of the city. Saw the White House and other tourist stuff. I then went to see the Holocaust Museum/exhibit – very moving.

Spent the evening walking on Connecticut Avenue through the various ethnic restaurant areas. I love the city. Very interesting. Great architecture everywhere.

So that's it. A quiet uneventful week. Should be on the road again in a couple of days.

Left Florida Thurs. morning (last week) and stayed at Edi’s (cottage neighbors) new house Thurs. night, in N. Carolina. It is next door to the one they bought to do Bed and Breakfast, and sold after fixing it up. House is beautiful-Tony designed it and contracted out the major work. He and Edi did all the inside work. Magnificent is a suitable superlative.